


Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga

by Navek



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/F, F/M, Natsu can use Enchantments, Original Characters a plenty, Reworked Magic System, Team Battles, Unison Raids a plenty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 32,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27286297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Navek/pseuds/Navek
Summary: AU. When Lucy walked into Hargeon, she had no idea she was going get tangled up with a crazy dragon-slayer, an amazon who hugs way too hard, a somewhat cocky archer, and a snarky cat. But she wouldn't trade the adventures she had with them for all the money in the world.
Relationships: Gray Fullbuster/Erza Scarlet, Juvia Lockser/Original Character(s), Lucy Heartfilia/Freed Justine, Mirajane Strauss/Original Male Character(s), Natsu Dragneel/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 6





	1. A New Legend Begins!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga is a non-profit fanfiction series.
> 
> Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.
> 
> Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.
> 
> Please support the official release.

_In a land far, far, away lies the Kingdom of Fiore. A small and peaceful nation of about 17,000,000 and a place filled with magic. Found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace. For most, magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life._

_For some, however, magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These are the Wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they ply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore._

_But there is a certain guild in a certain town that sores high above the rest. One from which countless legends have been born. A guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future._

_Its name is Fairy Tail. And this is the story of one such legend._

_**Navek and xpegasus present** _

_**A Fairy Tail Story** _

_**Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga** _

_**Chapter 1: A New Legend Begins!** _

_**Hargeon…** _

The sound of seagulls cawing and the waves crashing against the beach sang through the air as early morning rolled over the port town of Hargeon. The daily 9 AM train had arrived in town, and the sounds of feet reverberated through the station as passengers got off and boarded the train. Among the passengers getting off was an interesting group of young adults consisting of two men, a woman, and a cat.

The cat had blue & white fur, a green backpack, and black eyes. But the most interesting thing about this cat was its very long tail and the fact that it stood upright on two legs.

The scrawnier of the two men had scruffy brown hair, green eyes, and lightly tanned skin. He wore a black t-shirt, a pair of brown goggles with green lenses around his neck, blue jeans, a silver bracelet with two green gems on his left wrist, green and white sneakers, and a pair of black gloves. However, the right glove left his thumb and pinky exposed, while the left glove only covered his thumb and pointer finger.

The lone woman outdid her male companions in both height and muscle mass. She had long orange hair tied in a ponytail, purple eyes, tan skin, a sleeveless red shirt, red fingerless gloves, white bandages covering her forearms, purple leggings, and black boots.

Rounding off the group was the second male who was wearing a long-sleeve red jacket, a white scale patterned scarf, an orange-trimmed black kilt over his baggy white pants, black sandals, and a green backpack. He had black eyes, spiky pink hair, and was currently writhing in pain on the station floor.

"Oh, thank the founders! It's over!" the pink-haired man said.

The woman sighed and helped the queasy man onto his feet. He leaned on her shoulders.

"Thanks, Alyssa."

"No problema," she said with a smile. "But now…"

"Oh, crap," the pink-haired man said as he saw the blue cat handing the brunette a bottle of nasty-looking green liquid.

"Come on, Natsu," the brunette said. "You gotta drink it."

"But it's so gross!" Natsu cried as he tried to walk away, only for Alyssa to put him into a shoulder hold. "Hey, wait!"

"Sorry, hun. But Zeke's right," she replied with an apologetic smile. The brunette uncorked the bottle, only to sigh as Natsu shut his mouth tight.

"Happy."

"Aye, sir!" the cat replied with a salute before pulling a feather out of his backpack. Happy approached Natsu's feet and began to tickle his toes. Natsu tried his best not to laugh, but it was a fight he quickly lost. The instant Natsu opened his mouth, Zeke shoved the bottle down his throat.

"Just drink already," Zeke shouted in annoyance, the crowd taking in the strange sight as mothers told their children not to look at them. After Natsu finally swallowed the green liquid…

"Oh, man! I feel like a new man!" Natsu excitedly exclaimed with his arms raised, Alyssa giggling while Zeke rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, man. You don't need to be such a baby about taking your medicine," Zeke said as he tossed Happy the empty bottle.

"Well, that's Natsu for ya," Happy replied as he put the bottle back in his backpack.

"Easy for you guys to say! You don't have to drink that crap!" Natsu shouted back before turning around to face the city. "Alright, enough stalling. Time to go look for Igneel!"

"Got it!" Alyssa said as she ran after him.

"Aye, sir!" Happy said.

"Hey, wait for me!" Zeke exclaimed as he and Happy chased after their friends.

In another part of town, a blonde girl grumbled as she stomped through the streets. She had an hourglass figure, blonde hair tied in a side ponytail with a blue bow, brown eyes, pink heart-shaped earrings, a blue & white shirt, a black wristband on her right wrist, a blue skirt, and black boots. On her right hip was a key ring that held gold and silver keys, and on the other side was a black whip with a brown handle.

'I can't believe that old geezer only dropped the price down by a couple of thousand Jewels,' the blonde thought to herself. 'Nice to know what my sex appeal is really worth.' However, her attention was drawn in when she saw a large crowd gathering in the town square. 'Huh. I wonder what that's about.'

Back with the strange quartet, they had begun their search.

"IGNEEL!" Natsu shouted at the top of his lungs, scaring away some birds as he looked around. Near him, Happy came back up from a sewer entrance.

"Well, he's not down there," the blue cat reported. Nearby, Alyssa lifted a dumpster over her head like a feather, spooking the raccoon that was sleeping under it.

"Nope," she replied before looking up. "You see anything, Zeke?!"

The brunette was on top of a roof and hanging on to a weather vane, his goggles over his eyes. "Nope. Everything looks fine!" Zeke leaped off the roof before ricocheting off the alleyway walls and onto the street. "You'd think it'd be easy to spot someone like Igneel."

"I hate to say it, but maybe that clue we got was a dud," Alyssa said. Natsu frowned as he began to think the same. But suddenly, the quartet heard some women screaming excitedly.

"It's Salamander!"

"He's so hot!"

"I hear his fire magic is insane!"

"You guys think that might be him?" Zeke asked.

"Let's go find out!" Natsu shouted as the four ran towards the commotion.

In the middle of Hargeon's town square, a large group of women had gathered together and were swooning over the man in the center of the crowd. He was a slim man in his early thirties with sharp and angular features, a blue undercut, and a heavily stylized "X" tattoo above this right eyebrow. His outfit consisted of a white button-up shirt, a dark purple cape with high collar and sun symbols on either side, dark red pants, and several rings on his hands.

Among the crowd of swooning women was the blonde girl from earlier, looking at the man with astonished eyes and a blush on her cheeks.

'What the hell's going on?' she thought as her heart began to race, and her cheeks warmed with a blush. The feeling only intensified when the man winked at her. 'Could…this be…'

"Scusi! Coming through!" Alyssa said as she and others cut through the crowd. Natsu began to shout as they reached the center.

"Igneel! Igneel! It's me, Natsu!"

Everyone's attention was turned to the sudden arrival of the odd-looking strangers. When the blonde saw the four, all of the strange feelings in her chest suddenly vanished, and she realized what had happened.

"Who the hell are you?" Natsu asked.

"Who am I? Why, I am the great and mighty fire Wizard known as Salamander," the man smugly stated. "Surely, you must've heard of me."

"Can't say that we have," Zeke said, only to notice all the girls were now glaring at the four with murderous intent, which was then followed by them shouting some very colorful words at them.

"Now, now, my lovelies. No need to be rude," Salamander said. He pulled out four pieces of paper with his name on them. "Would you four care for my autograph? That way, you get something to brag about to your friends."

"Why the hell would we-" Natsu began to say.

"Thank you! We'll just take those and be on our way," Zeke said with a nervous grin, feeling the glares of the angry women boring into him. He quickly grabbed the autographed papers and pushed his friends away from the crowd. "Toodle-loo."

As the four left, Salamander told the ladies they were all invited to a party on his yacht later that night before taking off on a stream of fire.

"Guess that wasn't him," Happy commented.

"So is it me, or did that guy seem like a real creep?" Alyssa asked.

"That's because he _is_ a creep." The four turned and saw a blonde girl approaching them with a thankful smile.

"Hi, my name's Lucy."

A little while later, the group was eating at a local restaurant. Lucy offered to treat the four to a meal…and was immediately regretting that decision. While Zeke and Happy's meal only consisted of a grilled chicken salad and a fish respectively, Natsu and Alyssa wasted no time ordering everything on the menu.

"It's nice that you offered to cover lunch…" Zeke began to say as his friends dug into their meals with gusto. "…but I probably should've warned you how much these two can pack it in."

"No, it's fine. I owe you guys one anyway." Lucy sighed out as pieces of food began to fly everywhere. 'There goes all the extra money I saved.'

"Anyway, we should probably introduce ourselves," the brunette said. "I'm Ezekiel, but my friends call me Zeke. The big lady is Alyssa, the spike head is Natsu, and the cat's name is Happy."

"Okay…but why can he talk?" Lucy asked.

"Because I'm a cat," Happy replied before going back to munching on his fish. Lucy looked at Zeke for a better answer, but the brunette just shrugged.

"Not that I'm complaining, but how exactly do you owe us one?" Natsu asked through a full mouth.

"Well, that Salamander guy was using some sort of Charm Magic. That's why all those women were falling over him," Lucy explained. "I got caught up in it too, but when you guys came barreling through, I was able to snap back to reality."

"Really. I thought Charm Magic was illegal," Zeke said as he began to contemplate something. As he did, Lucy realized something.

"That reminds me. Alyssa, you were right next to that creep. Why weren't you affected by his charm spell?" Lucy asked the orange-haired woman. The taller woman swallowed her food before answering.

"Well, it's quite simple, Lucy," Alyssa said before wrapped her arm around Natsu's shoulder, bringing his head to her shoulder and smiling. "It's because I've already been charmed by the sweetest man in all of Fiore."

"Aw, shucks," Natsu said with a blush and a smile. "No need to go that far, babe."

'Oh.' Lucy thought to herself, realizing that the pinkette and amazonian woman were an item. And Alyssa placing a hand under his chin and making him look in her eyes confirmed it.

"But, you deserve every bit of praise, amore mio."

"Ooh, I love it when you talk all fancy," Natsu said as he wrapped his arms around Alyssa's waist. Lucy could swear that the air around them began to sparkle as they looked into each other's eyes.

"Oh, Natsu," Alyssa said dreamily.

"Oh, Alyssa," he replied.

"Oh, Natsu."

"Oh, Alyssa."

Zeke and Happy sweatdropped as the couple repeated each other's names like a mantra. "They're at it again," the cat stated.

"Nice going, Lucy."

The blonde girl laughed in embarrassment. "By the way, you guys said you were looking for someone named Igneel, right?"

The question broke Natsu and Alyssa out of their couple's trance, as Alyssa answered. "That's right. Igneel is Natsu's dad. We heard a rumor that a Salamander was in Hargeon, so we decided to stop by and look around."

"Too bad that guy was a total dud," Happy said with a sigh.

"No kidding. He looked nothing like a dragon." Natsu stated. "I bet he can't even breathe fire."

"So, your dad looks like a dragon?" Lucy asked, trying to imagine how someone could resemble a dragon.

"No, he doesn't look like a dragon. He is a dragon," Natsu answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Lucy was stunned when she heard this. As fantastical as their world was, dragons were considered to be creatures of myth and legends. But there was also something else that she freaked her out.

"Why the hell would a dragon show up in the middle of a fishing town?!" Lucy exclaimed in shock. Natsu and Happy suddenly got a widened eyed look as the realization hit them like a sack of bricks.

"Ya, I didn't want to say anything…" Zeke spoke up with an awkward look. "...but I was thinking that Hargeon looked way too intact for supposedly being visited by a dragon."

"I was actually thinking the same thing," Alyssa said sheepishly. "Sorry, sweetie."

After paying the check, Lucy got up and left. However, as she turned back, she saw Natsu and Happy prostrating themselves on the floor while Zeke and Alyssa bowed.

"Thank you for the meal!" The four said.

"Stop it! You're embarrassing me!"

"Well, we need some way to repay you," Alyssa said. Natsu's face lit up as he got an idea.

"Here ya go!" Natsu said as he handed Lucy one of the autographs Salamander gave them.

"No, thanks," Lucy replied with a flat look.

_**And then…** _

"Wow, looks like Fairy Tail's at it again," Lucy said with a chuckle as read the newest issue of _Sorcerer Weekly._ After parting with the four weirdos, the blonde girl decided to relax at the local park and read one of her favorite magazines. "This time, they wrecked a bell tower."

Indeed, a news article detailed a team of Fairy Tail mages called Bravestar and their fight against a group of bandits in a small countryside town. However, the battle resulted in massive collateral damage, including the town's iconic bell tower.

"I wonder why I can't find a picture of those guys," Lucy said to herself. "Then again, if I caused that much damage, I'd probably high-tail it before anyone took a photo."

She flipped the page, showing the weekly centerfold featuring the Fairy Tail mage Mirajane. "And Mirajane's as gorgeous as ever." The blonde commented as she began to think out loud. "I wonder what I'd need to get into a magic guild like that. Is there a trial? Or I do gotta submit a job application or something?"

The blonde then rolled up and magazine and stood with a determined look on her face. "Oh well, it doesn't matter. 'Cause I'm gonna join Fairy Tail no matter what!"

"Ah, so you're looking to get into my guild, eh?" Lucy turned and, to her shock, saw Salamander walking out of the bushes.

"Salamander?!" Lucy exclaimed as she sprung from the bench. "What are you doing here? Don't you know it's rude to eavesdrop on a lady?!"

'You were the one talking to yourself,' the blue-haired man thought with a sweatdrop.

"And don't think you can charm me again! That kind of magic doesn't work when the target knows about it," Lucy proclaimed. Salamander's eyes widened with surprise.

"You figured out I was using Charm Magic? Very impressive," he said with a sly smile. "We could use those kinds of deduction skills at Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail?" Lucy parroted, suddenly remembering what Salamander said before. "No way! You're that Salamander?"

"The one and only," he said. Lucy's eyes sparkled with awe before she collected herself.

"Oh, yeah. So what?" Lucy crossed her arms and tried to act nonchalant.

"So don't want to join my guild?" Salamander asked with a cocky smirk.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Lucy answered with a pout.

"Then how about a proposition?" Salamander said with a charming smile. "You come to my yacht party tonight and mingle a bit, and I'll put in a good word for you with the guild master. What do ya say?" He extended his hand.

And any amount of disgust or mistrust Lucy had vanished and instantly shook Salamander's hand with such force he nearly toppled over. "I'd love to come to your party tonight!" Lucy squealed in delight

Salamander chuckled at her enthusiasm. 'Well, that was easy.'

"You really think you can get me into Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked, finally releasing Salamander's hand.

"You have my word," Salamander said. With a snap of his fingers, a stream of magenta fire appeared beneath him and lifted him off the ground. "Just don't say anything about the charm spell, 'cause I'm planning on having some _fun_ tonight."

"You got it, Mr. Salamander!" Lucy said with a salute.

"Excellent! See you at the party, darling! _Flame Magic: Red Carpet!"_ With that, he took off into the sky on his transport of magenta fire. And it was only after he left that Lucy realized that he had pseudo-charmed her.

'Oh well. I just got to party with that sleazebag for one night, and I'm golden,' Lucy thought to herself. "Fairy Tail, here I come!"

_**And then...** _

"Looks like this trip was a total bust," Zeke said. Night had fallen on Hargeon. After their lunch, the eccentric quartet had decided to look around the rest of the fishing town, just in case there was any chance at all Igneel had been here. Unfortunately, they had no such luck and were now stuck in town for the night since their train wouldn't arrive until the next morning. The group was standing on a walkway that overlooked the city and ocean, giving them a fantastic view.

"Hey, isn't that the yacht where Salamander's hosting his party?" Happy asked, pointing to the distant boat that had left the harbor. Just thinking about being on a boat made Natsu nauseous until Alyssa rubbed his head.

"What? You've never heard of Salamander?" The group overheard a girl in a pink shirt say.

"No, not ringing any bells," her friend in a black shirt said. "Is he a big deal or something?"

"The biggest!" the girl in pink said. "He's a super-powerful and famous Fire Wizard from the Fairy Tail guild, not to mention handsome. I wish I could've gone to his party."

The four friends' eyes widened at the mention of "Fairy Tail." They turned their gaze towards the glistening yacht floating in the bay and narrowed their eyes.

"Fairy Tail, huh?" Alyssa said.

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Zeke commented while Natsu glared.

Meanwhile, on the yacht, Lucy and Salamander were sitting in his private cabin while the rest of the ladies partied on the deck below. The blonde had changed into an elegant red dress to make a better impression.

"I've got to admit, you've got great taste," Lucy said as she ran her hands over the furniture. "Midian leather and Bellumi oak are hard to come by in Fiore."

"Why, thank you, Miss Lucy. Being a Wizard of such renown comes with its perks," Salamander said as he approached his liquor cabinet. "I appreciate the finer things in life." He grabbed two glasses and an amber-colored bottle.

"A toast to your beauty," Salamander said as he poured her a glass of orange wine. "Be sure to savor every drop."

Lucy put on her best fake smile and forced herself to laugh. Without his charm magic, Salamander really came off as a creep trying way too hard to be suave. But as he poured the drink, Lucy noticed one of his rings emitting a small glow. With a squint of her eyes, the blonde saw that ring had an image of a crescent moon and a closed eye.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Lucy said. Salamander stopped pouring and looked at her in confusion. "You're trying to enchant my drink with a sleep charm."

"Hmph." Salamander gave a small smile and set down the bottle. "You continue to impress me, my dear."

"Look, I really do wanna join Fairy Tail. But I'm not gonna sleep with you to make that happen."

Lucy was about to get up…until she heard the click of a gun and felt cold metal pressed against the back of her head. With wide eyes, Lucy slowly turned and saw a woman with light brown hair, brown skin, and blue eyes pointing a gold flintlock pistol at her. Her outfit consisted of a pair of black cat-eye glasses, a bedazzled black vest over a full-sleeve white buttoned shirt, a black tie with matching dress pants and shoes, and gun holsters on each side of her belt, one of which was currently empty.

"Ah, Ripley. I didn't even notice you come in," Salamander said with a smirk.

"Well, you were blowing it, so I figured I'd give this little tart an incentive not to do anything stupid."

"W-wait, I saw you when I got on the ship," Lucy said with terror clear in her voice. "You were one of the girls at the party."

"Oh, please. Don't compare me to those floozies," the bespectacled woman said with a cruel smile. "Unlike them, I'm not so easily swayed by such simple magic."

"Simple? I spent a fortune on these rings," Salamander growled in annoyance just as someone else walked into the cabin.

"Yo, Salamander. All the new merchandise is knocked out." Lucy looked at the man, and the first word that came to her mind was "snake." From his slanted black eyes to his lanky body to his clothing of a tight black top, fingerless gloves, scale-like green pants, and black leggings underneath. "The boys are bringing them down to the lower- Huh, what's going on here?"

"It seems this girl is too smart for her own good, Kurohebi," Ripley explained. Lucy then felt shivers run down her spine as Kurohebi looked down her body and licked his black lips. He was even creepier than Salamander.

"Maybe so, but we can probably make a couple of thousand Jewels off of her," the snake-like man said with a low chuckle.

"Merchandise? Jewels?" Lucy asked fearfully. "What's going on?"

"Guess the cat's out of the bag," Salamander said as he stood up. "But don't worry, Lucy. We'll make sure not to harm that pretty little head of yours until we reach Bosco. After that, we'll make sure you're sold to the highest bidder."

"Y-you…" Lucy's eyes widened as his words sank in. "You're slave traders! But...I thought you were a Fairy Tail wizard!"

"Don't you get it? Our little playboy just said that to get you to come on board," Ripley replied bemusedly, Kurohebi chuckling along with her.

"So all the girls at the party…"

"You'd be amazed how much some depraved rich guys are willing to pay for pretty girls," Kurohebi explained. A hard scowl on her face, Lucy reached for her key ring, only for Salamander to grab it with his fire magic. He brought the six keys to his eye-level to examine them.

"These are Gate Keys. So you're a Celestial Wizard," Salamander said as he walked towards the nearby window. "Only the contracted wizard can use these. They're absolutely useless to me."

Before Lucy could protest, Salamander tossed her Spirit Keys out the window. She could only stare in horror and disbelief as everything she'd worked for vanished into the waters below. Lucy felt a myriad of emotions bubbling up inside; sorrow at the loss of her keys; fear at what would happen to her and the girls on the ship; but above all else, anger. Lucy was furious at Salamander and his accomplices. Magic was something precious and beautiful, and to have it be used for heinous, evil acts was unforgivable. With her eyes watering and her teeth grit, Lucy glared at the blue-haired man.

"You used magic to take advantage of others!" She yelled out. "You're the worst kind of wizard!"

The roof of the cabin exploded, surprising the four as someone landed on the floor. When the smoke cleared, they saw Alyssa glaring at the three slavers, her stance proud and defiant.

"Alyssa!" Lucy said with a smile.

"It's that bodybuilder chick from earlier!" Salamander proclaimed.

"What the hell is going on here?" Alyssa asked.

"None of your business, you dumb gorilla!" Ripley said as she aimed her gun at the orange-haired woman. Alyssa spoke a chant.

" _Boost Magic: Boosted Kick!"_

To everyone's shock, Alyssa's legs glowed with purple magical energy, a purple magic circle with a fist in the center appearing behind her. With amazing speed that betrayed her size, Alyssa leaped ahead and delivered a round-house kick to Ripley's torso, knocking her through the cabin wall.

"That was magic!" Kurohebi exclaimed as Lucy and Salamander looked on in shock. Alyssa turned and glared at Salamander.

"Salamander, right? I heard some girls saying that you're a Fairy Tail wizard," Alyssa said as she gripped the hem of her shirt.

"Y-ya. So what of it?" Salamander asked with a trembling voice. Alyssa pulled up her shirt to reveal a dark purple mark over her abdominals. One that vaguely resembled a dancing fairy.

"Because I'm from Fairy Tail! And I've never seen you before in my life!"

"That mark!" Salamander shouted.

"No way!" Lucy exclaimed. "Alyssa's a Fairy Tail wizard?! And you could do laundry on her abs!"

"Lucy? What are you doing here?" a voice said from above. Lucy looked up at the hole Alyssa had made and saw Happy…floating in the air with a pair of white wings on his back.

"This guy tricked me. He said he could get me into Fairy Tail if I came to his party," Lucy said before noticing the elephant in the room. "Wait? When did you get wings?"

"We'll explain that later," Alyssa said, taking a fighting stance. "Happy, get Lucy out of here. I'll deal with these bastardos."

"Aye, ma'am!" Happy exclaimed as he wrapped his tail around Lucy's waist. "Hold on!"

Lucy screamed in shock as the blue cat lifted her into the sky.

"You won't get away!" Salamander proclaimed as he snapped his fingers. " _Flame Magic: Red Carpet!"_

Alyssa attempted to jump at Salamander but she was stopped in her tracks by a stream of magenta fire.

"Uh, uh, uh, big gal." Alyssa turned and saw Kurohebi, flames surrounding his hands. "You gotta deal with me."

'He's got flame magic too?' Alyssa thought as Salamander took off in the air after Happy & Lucy. Meanwhile, Ripley had finally managed to pull herself out of the rubble.

"Ripley, get the rest of the guys!" Kurohebi shouted. "I can already tell that this ladies' gonna be a big problem."

"Right," Ripely said as she ran out of the cabin.

"Go ahead. Bring as many people as you like, cazzo!" Alyssa shouted, cracking her knuckles as her thick arms began to glow with the same purple magic as before. "I'll kick all your asses!"

On the shores of Hargeon, Natsu and Zeke stood atop the seawall. The brunette looked out onto the water with his goggles over his eyes. But these were no ordinary eyewear. By feeding a small degree of mana into them, Zeke was able to see over great distances.

"What's going on?" Natsu asked as he saw streams of fire flying through the sky.

"That Salamander guy is chasing Happy and…Lucy?" Zeke replied, watching as the blue-haired man unleashed blasts of flame magic at the two as Happy weaved and bobbed to dodge his attacks.

"This sucks! I should be out there!" Natsu groaned.

"We both know you'd get sick as soon as you stepped one foot on the boat," Zeke said, causing his friend to pout. "Besides."

Zeke fed mana into his bracelet, causing the gems in it to glow. In an instant, it transformed into a majestic silver longbow with green accents and shimmering bowstring. The green gems now sat directly above and below the arrow rest. "I could use the target practice."

A green magic circle with an arrow at its center appeared between the gems. Zeke placed his right hand in the circle and pulled back on the bowstring. As he did, an arrow made of solid green magical energy manifested within the bow, its arrowhead consisting of three points.

" _Arch Shot: Tri-Seeker Arrow!"_ The arrow soared through the air like a rocket-propelled bird of prey.

Salamander grit his teeth and furrowed his brow as rode atop his Red Carpet, growing increasingly frustrated at his inability to hit Happy and Lucy.

'That cat's faster than he looks,' the flame wizard thought to himself. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw the glowing arrow heading towards and barely dodged it.

"Nice try," Zeke said with a smirk as the arrow suddenly split into three streams of emerald light that curved and chased after Salamander until they blasted him, causing the flame mage to fall on the deck of his yacht.

"What was that?" Lucy asked.

"That was Zeke's Arch Shot magic," Happy answered.

"He launched a spell from that far away," Lucy said in amazement.

"Um, Lucy?"

She looked up. "What is it?"

"My magic-" Happy began to say before his wings vanished. "-just ran out."

"YOU STUPID CAT!" Lucy screamed as the two fell into the ocean. But as they were submerged, Lucy saw something twinkling on the seafloor.

Back on the yacht, Salamander groaned as he got back up. He checked to make sure nothing was broken and gaped in horror when he saw the arrows had torn his cape to pieces. As he vowed vengeance for the destruction of his favorite cape, Salamander noticed that the fight between Alyssa and Kurohebi had moved to the deck.

" _Prominence Typhoon!"_ Kurohebi shouted as he launched a column of fire at Alyssa.

" _Boost Magic: Boosted Leap!"_ she chanted. Magic enveloped her legs as she leaped out of the way. With magic still running through her legs, Alyssa jumped towards her opponent as her right arm lit up like her legs. " _Boost Magic: Enhanced Knuckle!"_

Kurohebi barely had time to dodge as Alyssa attempted to punch him, her fist smashing through the deck floor. However, the snake-like man smirked as he swiped his fingers across her legs as magic circles spun in his eyes.

" _Copy Magic: Epithet Scan."_ Alyssa felt a burst of magic enter her body and then leave. She back-handed Kurohebi, pushing him across the deck. However, the black-haired mage simply chuckled. "Alright, big girl. Let's how you handle your own magic. _Boosted Kick!"_

To Alyssa's surprise, purple magic surrounded Kurohebi's legs before he leaped and kicked her into a table.

'Copy Magic?! Merda!' Alyssa thought to herself as she got back up.

"Hey, Kuro!" The two mages turned and saw Ripley flanked by all slavers' goons, her golden guns in hands, and a large case strapped to her back. "If you don't want to die, then get out of the way!"

"You got it," he said before leaping out of the way. Alyssa quickly channeling her mana into her legs.

" _Guns Magic: Rapid-Fire!"_

" _Boost Magic: Boosted Jump!"_

Ripley unleashed a torrent of yellow mana bullets that Alyssa was forced to jump to avoid. The orange-haired woman quickly jumped behind the buffet table and tipped it to use as a makeshift barrier.

But before the slavers could get cocky, Salamander saw another arrow pass the ship before breaking into three streams of green light again. He scowled as he snapped his fingers. " _Flame Magic: Red Curtain!"_

A large wall of fire appeared on the deck, blocking the arrows. "Ripley, there's another Fairy Tail wizard attacking from long-range! Get rid of them!"

"Alright, but mind your tone," Ripley said before running towards a nearby ladder, leaving Alyssa to fight Salamander, Kurohebi, and their goons. The bespectacled wizard quickly reached the roof of the yacht and opened the case, revealing a golden sniper rifle with a long barrel and a scope. "Okay, Ronney. Time to go hunting."

Ripley laid down on her stomach and aimed her rifle towards the direction the arrows came. Like Zeke did with his magical goggles, Ripley fed mana into her scope, allowing her to see Natsu and Zeke on Hargeon's beach. With a grin, the Guns Wizard readied her next spell, a yellow magic circle with a bullet epithet appearing in front of the barrel.

" _Guns Magic: Horizon Bullet!"_ With a pull of her trigger, a magical bullet shot through the air, barreling towards Zeke and Natsu. The pink-haired man's ears twitched when he heard the shot.

"Incoming!" Natsu shouted before tackling Zeke into the sand as bullet destroyed the part of the seawall they'd been standing on. "What the hell was that?!"

Zeke quickly sat up and zoomed in again with his goggles, seeing Ripley on the roof of the yacht. The two were forced to evade more Horizon Bullets that sent sand flying high in the sky when they hit the beach.

"Looks like one of Salamander's lackeys has long-range magic," Zeke stated before noticing that they had begun to attract the attention of Hargeon's citizens. "Natsu, try to get the rubberneckers away from the beach."

"Got it!" Natsu replied before running towards the townspeople. "You guys better high-tail it out of here! Things are about to get crazy magical!"

As Natsu tried to get the townsfolk away from the beach, Zeke stood defiantly, Ripley right in his sight. He conjured another arrow, this one with an arrowhead shaped like a stick of dynamite. "Alright, lady. You picked the wrong wizard to pick a firefight with. _Arch Shot: Demolition Arrow!"_

Ripley barely had time to roll away as Zeke's spell hit the roof, exploding upon impact. She quickly aimed and fired another Horizon Bullet that Zeke was forced to dodge. The two then proceeded to engage in a long-range battle, each of them launching spells from a great distance and dodging when they needed to. However, since Ripley and her allies were on a boat, they were slowly losing as Zeke's spells kept blasting more of the yacht apart.

As this was going on, Lucy and Happy emerged from the sea, the blonde having recovered her keys from the ocean floor. Lucy looked at the yacht with a determined smirk as she grabbed a golden key. "Here we go. _Open, Gate of the Water Bearer - Aquarius!"_

Lucy plunged the key into the water and a blue magic circle with a cross epithet appeared. With a burst of mana and water, a blue-haired mermaid with a dark blue tail appeared before Lucy and Happy, a blue and silver urn in her hands.

"That was awesome!" Happy cried out with joy.

"That's the power of a Celestial Wizard," Lucy explained. "I can summon spirits from the Celestial Realm to assist me in battle."

She turned and pointed at the yacht. "Listen up, Aquarius. I want you to use your magic to push that ship back into the port." However, the spirit glared at Lucy with piercing blue eyes and grit her teeth. "Hey," Lucy exclaimed. "Drop the attitude and help me!"

"Let's get something straight…" Aquarius said, her voice low and dangerous as water began to flow around her, and she narrowed her eyes at Lucy and Happy, sending shivers down their spines. "…the next time you so much as think about dropping my key, you're dead."

"U-understood," Lucy squeaked out while Happy let out a terrified whimper as Aquarius unleashed her spell and a torrent of ocean water was sucked into her urn.

" _Poseidon's Wrath!"_ With a ferocious yell, Aquarius launched a tidal wave at the yacht…that also engulfed Lucy and Happy. Back on the yacht, Alyssa was in the midst of blocking Kurohebi's blows and Salamander's flame magic, only for the three wizards, Ripley, and the goons to notice the sudden shadow cast over the boat. They looked up and gaped at the massive tidal wave heading their way.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" the slavers all shouted.

"¡SANTO CIELO!" Alyssa yelled as the yacht was consumed by the wave.

Back on the shore, Zeke's eyes and mouth widened in shock at the approaching water. The green-eyed man quickly turned around and ran towards Natsu and the crowd. "EVERYONE, RUN FOR IT!"

Natsu and the townsfolk turned and balked at the sight of the rapidly approaching wave and attempted to high-tail away from the beach. As the wave was about to hit the shore, Zeke grabbed Natsu and created a green barrier around them just as the tidal wave consumed them and Hargeon's shore.

Luckily the seawall blocked the bulk of the water and what water made it past did barely any damage as Hargeon's buildings were built to withstand flooding. And as fast as it came, the water receded, revealing that Zeke had fallen on top of Natsu, the two men groaning in pain.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Natsu groaned out as Zeke got off him.

"No idea. Maybe one of Salamander's lackeys di-" As the brunette opened his eyes, he realized that his magic goggles had been shattered. "Damn it! I just bought these!"

"LET'S HIGH-TAIL IT, LADIES!" The two wizards looked and saw that Salamander's yacht had crashed into the shore, waking the girls and giving them the opportunity to escape

At the same time, Lucy and Happy washed up on the shore, the blonde coughing up seawater while the cat ended up buried head-first in the sand. Lucy then noticed Aquarius floating next to her.

"What's the big idea?! You think you could've tried not to sweep me up with the ship?!"

"Oh, that was an accident," Aquarius replied with a smile. "I didn't mean to get the ship."

"YOU WERE AIMING FOR ME?!" Lucy yelled as her spirit turned away.

"Don't call me for a while," the mermaid said with a haughty smirk. "I'm going on a week-long vacation with my boyfriend. And he's hot."

"You don't have to rub it in!" Lucy shouted as her spirit returned to the Celestial Realm. Suddenly, Lucy, Happy, Natsu, and Zeke's attention was brought to the yacht by Alyssa's yells as she was sent flying by Salamander's Flame Magic and crashed into the beach.

"Alyssa!" Natsu and Zeke shouted as they rushed towards her. They quickly helped her up and saw the slavers walking towards them, Salamander, Kurohebi, and Ripley all seething with rage.

"I've had enough of this!" Salamander shouted as he conjured up a magic circle in front of him. "I'll burn all you idiots to ash with a single spell! _FLAME MAGIC: PROMINENCE TYPHOON!"_

Natsu pushed Zeke and Alyssa out of harm's way and was completely consumed by a swirling pillar of fire.

"NATSU!" Lucy yelled while Kurohebi cackled.

"Aw, isn't that sweet? Pinkie sacrificed himself to save his buddies," Kurohebi said with a bemused smirk.

"Looks like Fairy Tail ain't all it's cracked up to be," Ripley taunted. But suddenly, Zeke and Alyssa began to chuckle, confusing everybody.

"Oh, please. As if Natsu could be killed by fire magic," Zeke said with a smirk of his own.

"How're the flames, tesoro mio?" Alyssa asked.

"Not gonna lie…" Natsu's voice came from within the inferno. "…it's pretty gross."

"HE'S STILL ALIVE?!" The trio of slavers cried out. What happened next utterly baffled everyone except Zeke, Alyssa, and Happy. A loud slurping sound was heard across the beach, the fire began to shrink. It shrank further until everyone could see that Natsu was actually eating the fire! Aside from his burnt coat, he was completely unharmed.

"Thanks for the meal, poser," Natsu said as he tore off the remains of his coat, revealing an open black and orange-trimmed vest, his muscular torso and arms, a black wristband on his left wrist, and a red Fairy Tail mark on his right shoulder. "Now, I've got a fire in my belly that's raging to get out!"

Natsu then smashed his fists together, conjuring up an orange circle with a dragon epithet in front of him. He then sucked in a massive amount of air. " _Fire Dragon's Roar!"_

From his mouth, Natsu unleashed his own torrent of flames. Salamander evaded with his Red Carpet spell, and Kurohebi boosted his legs to get himself and Ripley rolled out of the way. The rest of the slavers panicked and ran as Natsu's spells destroyed the remains of their yacht.

"A Fairy Tail wizard with spiky pink hair, a scaly scarf, and unique fire magic," Kurohebi said as his eyes widened in realization. "Bora, this guy's the real Salamander!"

"Natsu's Salamander?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Don't use my real name, you idiot!" the man called Bora said as Natsu, Alyssa, and Zeke stood together, staring the other trio down.

"Bora Solak, or Bora the Prominence as he likes to call himself," Happy said, surprising Lucy. "I've heard of this guy; he used to be a member of the guild Titan Nose but got kicked out for bad behavior."

_(Music Que - Fairy Tail Main Theme)_

"We should probably introduce ourselves," Natsu stated as the air around him began to heat up. "I'm Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon-Slayer!"

"My name's Alyssa Gagliardi!" Alyssa said as she moved into a fighting stance. "And they call me the Boost Queen!"

"The name's Ezekiel Hudson, archer extraordinaire and proud heir of the heroic Hudson legacy," Zeke said as he tossed aside his broken goggles. He then pulled down his shirt collar, revealing a green Fairy Tail guild mark just below his left collar bone. "And you assholes are dealing with the greatest team Fairy Tail's ever had: Bravestar!"

'THEY'RE TEAM BRAVESTAR!' Lucy thought in absolute shock. These weirdos she'd bought lunch for were the infamous Team Bravestar she'd read so much about. While Fairy Tail wizards were known for being rowdy, she had read about a trio of wizards that went overboard during their fights, even by their guild's standards. Because of this, Bravestar was also known as Fairy Tail's Demolition Team.

"Pay attention! Because this is what real Fairy Tail wizards can do!" Natsu shouted, charging ahead, his fists engulfed in orange flames.

"S-Stay back!" Bora shouted. " _Flame Magic: Red Shower!"_

Bora unleashed a barrage of fireballs at team Bravestar. Natsu didn't even bother to dodge and ran straight towards Bora. Natsu leapt into the air with a burst of flame with a blazing right fist.

" _Fire Dragon's Blazing Fist!"_ With a powerful swing, Natsu punched Bora with enough force to send him flying into a nearby building.

"Try eating this, Salamander!" Ripley shouted as she aimed her pistols at Natsu. " _Guns Magic: Rapid-Fire!"_

"Nice try!" Zeke shouted, this time conjuring up an arrow with an arrowhead shaped like a bundle of smaller arrows. " _Arch Shot: Arrow Volley!"_

Zeke the arrow and in a flash of light, it split into a volley of 100 small arrows that tore through Ripely's bullets.

"Damn you!" Kurohebi shouted, charging at Zeke with mana flowing around his legs. He suddenly felt intense burning pain shoot through them. He let out a pain yelled as he slowed to a crawl, allowing Alyssa to jump in and catch his hand.

"Looks like you copied my magic's weakness too!" Alyssa proclaimed as she channeled magic through her arms. " _Boost Magic: Grand Toss!"_

With a powerful swing, Alyssa tossed Kurohebi over the wrecked yacht.

"Their magic is nuts," Lucy said, completely in awe as the trio continued to fight.

"Aye," Happy said and began to explain. "Zeke uses hereditary magic that only his family has called Arch Shot Magic. It has properties of both Archery and Light Magic. Alyssa's magic is Boost Magic. It can supercharge the caster's physical abilities, but using too much can damage their insides, so they need to have a strong body to use it properly. And Natsu's Fire Dragon-Slayer Magic gives him all the abilities of a fire dragon. So he's not only immune to fire, but he can also replenish his mana by eating it."

Ripley scowled as she aimed Zeke and Alyssa, but Natsu charged at her, his arms now coated in fire.

" _Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"_ With a swing of his arms, Natsu unleashed twin torrents of fire at Ripley and blasted her into the water, knocking her unconscious. Bora emerged from the rubble of the building atop his red carpet with a wild and crazed look on his face.

"DAMN YOU ALL!" Bora screamed as a massive magic circle appeared beneath him. "BURN IN HELL!" A gargantuan crimson fireball in the shape of a skull formed above his head. " _FORBIDDEN FLAME MAGIC: RED SK-"_

" _Arch Shot: Demolition Arrow!"_ Before Bora could finish his incantation, Zeke fired a magic arrow at Bora's fireball. The explosion was seen and heard all across Hargeon and beyond as Bora was blasted out of the air. As Bora fell to the ground, his eyes widened when he saw Alyssa charging at him, the magic around her arms glowing far brighter than before.

"Hey, stronzo!" Alyssa shouted. "This is what you get for impersonating my boyfriend! _Boost Magic: Grand Combo-Punch!"_

As soon as Bora came within arms' length, Alyssa unleashed a ferocious barrage of supercharged punches. And with a final solid right hook, the fake Salamander was sent flying into the town, crashing into a nearby water fountain. And with that, the battle between team Bravestar and the slavers reached its end.

_(Music End)_

"Alright! We won!" Natsu shouted as he and Zeke shared a fist bump. They ran up the seawall's stairs to join Alyssa.

"We rock!" Alyssa cheered as she and Zeke then did a double high-five, which she immediately regretted it as her arms began to hurt. "Owie."

"Oh, crap! Sorry, Alyssa," Zeke replied.

"It's okay. They're just a little sore," she said. But before the trio could continue their celebration, they heard something fall and break. Turning around, they saw that the fountain Alyssa had knocked Bora into had broken in half. They also finally noticed that while the buildings in Hargeon were mostly fine, most of the street had been upended by the tidal wave, and the buildings closest to the beach had been hit by some stray spells.

"You guys were amazing, but you really overdid it!" Lucy exclaimed as she and Happy approached the three.

"Well, I can't argue with that," Alyssa said, rubbing the back of her head with a nervous laugh. However, Natsu genuinely chuckled.

"Actually, this is pretty good by our standards," Natsu said.

"Aw, man!" Zeke exclaimed as he started pulling his hair. "Master Makarov's gonna have an ulcer when he hears about this."

"To be fair, Lucy and the fish lady did most of the damage," Happy said.

"Hey!" the blonde shouted.

"You caused that tidal wave?!" Zeke yelled. "And what fish lady are you talking about?!"

Before they could continue their conversation, Natsu's ears picked the sound of marching feet. He spun around and saw a large group of soldiers clad in orange & blue uniforms marching through the town."Oh shit! It's the Rune Knights!"

"The army's here?!" Lucy shouted.

"Run for it!" Zeke shouted as the five bolted away as fast as they could, Natsu grabbing Lucy by the arm.

"Why are you taking me?" Lucy asked as she was dragged off.

"You said you wanted to join Fairy Tail, right?" Alyssa asked. Lucy's eyes widened in disbelief. Actual Fairy Tail wizards were inviting her to join their guild. As they ran, the blonde saw that the four guild wizards had sincere expressions on their faces, even as they ran for their lives.

"So, let's go!" Natsu said excitedly. Lucy smiled back at them, slipping her arm out of Natsu's and started willingly running away with the four.

"Alright!" Lucy cheered with an ear to ear smile as the five ran out of Hargeon. It had been a crazy day, but Lucy had a feeling that things would only get better from here.

And indeed, the five friends would back on this night and realize that it was this day in Hargeon when their legend truly began.

_**Elsewhere…** _

On top of a snow-covered mountain caught in a raging blizzard, a fierce battle had just reached its conclusion. A lone mage stood amongst the corpses of over a dozen ape-like creatures, out of breath and barely holding himself up with his broadsword. The man appeared to be in his early forties. He had black eyes, slicked-back dark blue hair, and his outfit consisted of an open white coat with blue inner-lining, rolled up brown pants held up by a white belt, an s-shaped necklace hanging around his neck, and a pair of dark brown loafers.

'Well, that about wraps things up,' the man thought to himself, standing up as his broadsword vanished in a dark blue light. 'Time to head home.'

Unfortunately, one of the ape creatures the man had been fighting was rather clever, playing dead amongst its brethren. With his foe's guard down, the beast howled and attacked, the raging winds drowning out the man's screams.

_**To be continued…** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back when I wrote the first chapter of A New Day five years ago, I had no idea how much that story would mean to me. Writing AND and its sequels helped me improve my writing skills more than I ever imagined. And it was through these Fairy Tail stories that I met my co-writer, editor, and one of my best friends, xpegasus.
> 
> But recently, as I reread A New Day while compiling that story and sequels together, I realized just how flawed it was. I barely broke away from the canon, limiting my creativity and original flare. I also didn't really know whether I wanted to stick with the original Fairy Tail magic system for awhile, winging it until me and XPegasus sorted out the details midway through Homecoming. And I realized that it can be hard to get people invested in the later parts of my story if the beginning is mediocre.
> 
> So, now with years of experience under my belt, my best friend at my side, and a firm idea for where I want my Fairy Tail story, I've decided to reboot the Fairy Mythos Series. Or as it's going to be known from now on, Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga!
> 
> I hope that everyone who's followed all of my Fairy Tail stories until now will join me and xpegasus as we venture once again into this magical world. And hopefully, we'll make a lot of new friends and fans along the way.
> 
> Next Chapter: The Brawl at Mt. Hakobe!
> 
> See you next time!


	2. The Brawl at Mt. Hakobe!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy joins the Fairy Tail guild, realizes they're all a tad bit nuts, and the gang ends up fighting a magic monkey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga is a non-profit fanfiction series.
> 
> Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.
> 
> Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.
> 
> Please support the official release.

(Opening Song - Snow Fairy by Funkist)

_Fairy, where are you going? Hikari zenbu atsumete_

_Kimi no ashita terasu yo_

(The night sky is illuminated by glowing fairies dancing across the night sky. The fairies dance across Fiore. From Castle Crocus to above a crimson ship at sea and finally Natsu, Alyssa, and Zeke looking up at the night sky. The fairies dancing up towards the moon, where we see the title of our story, **Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga**.)

_Oh yeah, kikoete no kakro no koe wa?_

_Oh yeah, kare tatte sakebu kara_

(Lucy stands on a hill overlooking Magnolia, a fairy passing by as she turns. This is followed by Alyssa training by punching and kicking a tree, a fairy flying above her.)

_Oh yeah, kikoeru made kimi no kokoro ga._

_Oh yeah, oh yeah_

(Zeke sits at his desk, fixing up his bow as the fairies pass by his window. Finally, the fairies fly past Natsu as facing away on a cliff. The dragon-slayer turns, giving a thumbs up and smiling as Happy floats by.)

_Tsuki to taiyou no haitachi_

(We cut a train and Bravestar doing their thing. Natsu motion sick with his head in Alyssa's lap and her massaging his head, Lucy writing in her journal, Zeke looking out the window, and Happy and Lupus doing a funny dance.)

_Wasuremo we nai desuka?_

(We see the gang on a caravan before switching to them at a campfire. Natsu cooking up a dead monster, Happy eating a fish, and Alyssa gazing up at the stars while Lucy & Zeke read a map.)

_Okashii na kimi ga inai to_

_Hoshii momo sae mitsukara nai_

(During a dreary day, Vali looks at Lucy with concern as the celestial wizard sits on a bridge with a solemn expression on her face. She turns her head and sees Mirajane and Team Bravestar just as the sky clears, causing her to smile.)

_Snowing sunao ni egao ni nare ta no wa_

_Futari yorisoi_

_Kasane aruka "jikan" ga aru kara_

(What follows is a montage of various adventures. The gang riding on griffins, Natsu, Lucy & Alyssa laughing as mushrooms grow out of Zeke and Happy's heads, the team running away from giant bees, and Lucy freaking out as the group is surrounded by rock creatures with their magic ready. Alyssa and Zeke stand back to back as a pair of red eyes glare at them from the shadows, followed by the rest of Fairy Tail posing and showing off their magic.

_Fairy, where are you going?_

_Hikari zenbu atsumete_

_Kimi no ashita terasu yo_

(Lucy swings a snake-sword in an arc, causing her gold and silver Celestial Spirits to fly ahead before cutting to Natsu, turning his flames blue and roaring, creating a pillar of azure flames. We then see all the Fairy Tail members looking on from a distance, followed by Team Bravestar facing off against a giant worm monster in the ruins of a city.)

_Don't say goodbye!_

(Alyssa covers her body is Boost Magic, and Zeke fires an arrow spell into the distance. Happy winks before flying to the front of the guildhall, Natsu, Lucy, Alyssa, and Zeke greeting him as they head off to their next adventure.)

_Chapter 2: The Brawl at Mt. Hakobe!_

_**Magnolia...** _

After a long day of walking after the rumble in Hargeon, team Bravestar had returned to Magnolia with Lucy in tow. As they trekked through the town, the four Fairy Tail wizards showed Lucy a few local sights. From the famous Grotto Lumiere restaurant, Magnolia park, the necro-market under the city, the bookstore Tortoise and Hare, and the canals that ran throughout the city.

Eventually, they reached a large, two-story building with an orange roof and a round and pointed golden dome perch atop it near the city's edge. Emblazoned in blue on a sign above the wooden doors were two words that filled Lucy with overwhelming joy: Fairy Tail.

'I can't believe I'm actually here!' Lucy thought to herself, barely managing to hold back her giddiness.

"Here it is," Zeke began to say. "Home sweet-"

Natsu kicked the door open. "We made it back alive!"

"Aye!" Happy chimed in.

"-home," Zeke finished with a non-plussed expression while Alyssa giggled at her boyfriend's antics. As for Lucy, she was amazed as she walked into the guildhall. There were so many people just relaxing and chatting it up. Some were drinking, some sharing a meal, and there was even someone dancing on a table.

"Hey, Natsu! I heard you guys went all out in Hargeon," a buck-toothed man snarked. "You three really know how to cause trou-" Natsu kicked him in the face, knocking the buck-toothed man out of his chair and into another table.

"What?! But why?!" Lucy cried, alarmed and confused.

"Krov, you bastard, you lied about that Salamander! I'm gonna kick your ass!" Natsu exclaimed.

Krov got up from the remains of the table and glared at the pink-haired wizard. "Hey, don't be mad at me! I was just passing a rumor I heard!"

"IT WAS ONLY A RUMOR!?"

_(Music Que - Can Can Fairy Tail Version)_

"So what? You wanna fight about it?!"

"Bring it on!" Natsu yelled as he charged into a brawl. In a matter of minutes, the fight turned into a free-for-all throughout the guild, Happy even getting involved somehow.

"Yup, this seems about normal," Zeke said with a light chuckle while Alyssa gained an excited look in her eyes.

"Save some of the fun for me, dolcezza!" she exclaimed before jumping into the fray.

Zeke simply sighed. "I'll never understand where they get all that energy."

As Natsu and Alyssa were brawling, Lucy managed to get over her shock and went back to being mesmerized at the Fairy Tail guildhall. She's fantasized about this moment countless times, and it was strangely somehow both exactly and nothing like she expected. However, she noticed a fit young man with spiky black hair getting up from his table. He was only wearing a pair of black boxers and a silver necklace for reasons that escaped Lucy, showing off a dark blue Fairy Tail mark on his right pectoral.

"So Natsu's back, huh!?" the near-naked man said as he stood up from his seat. "About time he showed his ugly mug."

"Gray, your clothes," a brunette woman in a blue bikini top, red pants, with various bracelets on her wrists holding a wine glass said with a blase expression.

"I don't have time for this!" he yelled as he joined the brawl, utterly unconcerned with his state of undress.

Lucy turned to Zeke and an unasked question hung in the air. "Don't worry about them," Zeke said as he placed his hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Well, might as well show you around." They walked to the bar and sat next to the long-haired brunette. "This is the guild bar. You can order any food from the kitchen here, as well as any kind of drink. Cana here can attest to that."

"Damn straight!" The brunette cheered. Suddenly the fight got much louder, making her sigh in annoyance. "The guys in this guild have no class," Cana said as she grabbed the wine barrel next to her and started drinking from it. Lucy stared at her in shock while Zeke gave Cana a deadpan look.

"I'm standing right here," Zeke replied as motioned Lucy to follow him.

"This area is pretty much the main hall-" Zeke said as he dodged an airborne shoe with ease. "-you can socialize-" He dodged a beer mug. "-eat-" Then dodged a chair. "-and of course, get into big fights." Finally, Zeke dropped to the floor to avoid a table. "Now, over here, we got the job request board…"

'HOW IS HE NOT FAZED BY ALL THIS?!' Lucy thought to herself as she followed him.

As the fight progressed, a large man with tan skin, white hair, and a scar under his right eye approached Natsu and Gray. "It's barely noon, and you boys are already fighting like spoiled children. Do I need to teach you how to be re-?"

Elfman never got to finish his sentence as Natsu and Gray turned around and socked in the jaw, sending him flying. "DON'T BUTT IN!" They two shouted before going back to fighting each other.

When he landed, Elfman noticed something had broken his fall, and he looked down to see Alyssa.

"Hey, Elfman," Alyssa greeted with a cheery smile as if a 200-plus pound man hadn't just fallen on her.

"Hello, Alyssa." Elfman groaned as he got off of her. He suddenly felt a literal kick in the ass that sent him sprawling forward. He turned around to see the orange-haired woman smirking at him. "Hey, it's not manly to kick someone in the back!"

"Good thing I'm a woman then," Alyssa said before she cracked her knuckles. "Now, come on, ragazzone! Momma needs a good workout!"

"FINE THEN! I'LL SHOW HOW STRONG A REAL MAN CAN BE!" Elfman shouted before he and Alyssa began to brawl.

"It's so noisy around here." Sitting at one of the tables was a man with a green jacket, brown pants, blue-tinted sunglasses, rings on his hands, and a woman in each of his arms. He had planned on merely ignoring the rabble right up until a mug hit him in the face. He maintained his cool as he stood up. "I'm gonna go join the fight if only to protect you, lovely ladies."

"Okay, Loke," the ladies in unison, swooning as their boyfriend joined the brawl. Back with Lucy and Zeke, the Arch Shot wizard showed the rookie mage the job request board. As he explained that the jobs were organized by Class Ranking, Lucy was still in disbelief at the increasingly massive guild fight.

"So at the bottom of the board are E-Class jobs. Those are usually small stuff like helping with mystical research or helping out a local business. At the top is A-Class, monster fighting, dark guild busting, and defending towns from roaming bandits." The brunette said as a cocky smirk appeared on his. "Not to brag, but Bravestar are aces when it comes to A-Class Jobs. Now in between those two, you've got D, C, and B-Class jobs. D-Class usually involve-"

"Seriously, Zeke! How are you not freaked out by all of that?!" Lucy interrupted, pointing towards the mass of angry wizards. And to her surprise, Zeke just chuckled and patted her head.

"Oh, sweet, innocent Lucy. This is an average Wednesday for Fairy Tail. You wanna see real chaos; you should see how we celebrate New Year's Eve."

And just as she started to wonder if anyone in this guild wasn't crazy, Lucy heard a kind voice speak up.

"Hello, are you new here?" Lucy turned and saw a white-haired woman in a red dress and holding a drink tray.

"It's Mirajane! In the flesh!" Lucy fangirled, recognizing the barmaid from her photo shoots in Sorcerer Weekly.

"' Sup, Mira?" Zeke said.

"Welcome back, Zeke. How did the search in Hargeon go?"

"Eh. It was some slaver asshole impersonating Natsu," he explained.

"Oh, that's too bad," Mirajane said with a frown. She turned back to Lucy. "So, who's the new girl?"

"I'm Lucy!" she exclaimed. "Zeke and the others helped me out in Hargeon and said I could join Fairy Tail. It's such an honor to be here!" The sounds of fighting caught her attention again. "By the way, shouldn't we do something about that?"

Mirajane just giggled. "Oh, it's always like this. And besi-"

Mirajane was interrupted by flying, screaming Elfman crashing into her, knocking them both into a nearby table that broke apart on impact.

"-i-it's kind of fun, don't you think?" Mirajane groaned before passing out.

"AH! DON'T DIE, MIRAJANE!" Lucy freaked out.

"Oh, merda!" Alyssa yelled in panic, having been the one to punch Elfman into the air. "Sorry about that, Mira!" But her remorseful mood ended as soon as someone smashed a table on her.

Zeke sighed. "You guys really have no sense of restrai-"

Suddenly, Zeke was knocked to the ground by an airborne Gray. Much to the archer's disgust, the Ice Wizard had lost his boxers and was completely naked. "Get off me, ya naked weirdo!"

"Sorry," Gray said as he stood up and looked around. "Who took my underwear?!" His eyes turned to a cackling Natsu who was waving around Gray's boxers like a flag. "Damn it, Flamebrain, give those back!"

"Come and get 'em, Icybastard," Natsu exclaimed with a huge shit-eating grin.

'Don't turn around! Don't turn around! Don't turn around!' Lucy was screaming in her mind, embarrassed at the naked man near her. Unfortunately, he did turn around.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Gray said. "Can I please borrow your underw-"

"AS IF!" Lucy screamed, red in the face as she kicked Gray into a bar stool.

Suddenly, Lucy felt herself being lifted off the ground as Loke picked her up bridal style.

"So uncivilized. That's no way to treat a beautiful lady like you," Loke said with a flirtatious grin. Lucy grimaced and was thankful when Elfman punched Loke in the face.

"REAL MEN FLIRT WITH THEIR FISTS, LOKI!" Elfman said but was then kicked by Natsu.

"I told you not to butt in!" The Dragon-Slayer shouted.

"Aye," Happy groaned. Then, without warning, Alyssa appeared behind Natsu and put him in a crab hold.

"Sorry, Natsu. But you let your guard down," she said with a playful smile. Natsu smirked in return.

"Nice one! But I ain't done yet!" Natsu shouted before he started rolling, taking Alyssa with him as the two spun into the mass of brawling guild wizards.

_(Music Que End)_

Veins appeared on Cana's forehead as she tried to enjoy her drink. "Can't a lady drink in peace?" She turned around and pulled out a card, creating a light green magic circle. "Seriously, guys, knock it off."

"Says who?" Gray retorted as he struck a combat stance and created a blue magic circle. Elfman roared as a purple magic circle formed above his arm, transforming it into stone.

"Bring it!" Alyssa proclaimed as her arms glowed with Boost Magic.

"You punks can be such a nuisance," Loke said as he grabbed one of his rings.

"Now I'm really getting fired up!" Natsu exclaimed as flames covered his hands.

"Hit the deck!" Zeke yelled as he, Lucy, Mirajane, and Happy ducked behind the bar.

However, the fight was stopped dead cold as a giant creature stomped into the Guild. Lucy was awestruck at the man's size.

" **THAT'S ENOUGH, YOU BRATS!** " The only people not affected by the arrival were Zeke and Mira, as everyone else stopped fighting almost immediately.

"Oh, hi, master. I didn't know you were still here," Mirajane greeted with a cheery smile, shocking Lucy at the nonchalant nature and what she said.

"Wait, that's the guild master?!" This got the giant's attention. It turned towards her, and Lucy's face went white as a sheet.

" **SO WE HAVE A NEW RECRUIT, EH?** "

"That's right," Zeke said, utterly unphased by the giant as he placed his hand on the trembling blonde's shoulder. "This is Lucy. She's a Celestial Wizard."

"N-N-Nice to meet you, sir," Lucy mumbled fearfully.

The colossal being looked at her for a second before he started to shrink. Lucy gawked as the giant turned into a short old man wearing an orange hoodie and an orange and blue jester hat. "Nice to meet ya!" he said with a warm smile.

"He's tiny! This little guy is really in charge here?"

"Of course, he is. Allow me to introduce you to the Fairy Tail's third Guild Master, Makarov Dreyar," Mira said as the short man somersaulted up to the second floor. After hitting his head on the railing and getting back up, he glared at the gathered wizards.

"You bunch of clogs have done it again!" Makarov yelled as he pulled out a stack of papers. "Look at all this paperwork the Magic Council has sent me! This is the biggest stack of complaints yet! We have counts of public indecency..."

Gray rubbed his head in embarrassment.

"Assaulting clients..."

Elfman sweat-dropped.

"Sexual harassment..."

Loke looked away.

"Public drunkenness.."

Cana tried to nonchalantly drink her wine but was failing.

"And let's not forget all the destruction of public and private property!"

The Bravestar trio's expressions ranged from shame (Zeke), embarrassment (Alyssa), and nonchalance (Natsu).

"You kids really know how to get higher-ups to ride my ass," Makarov groaned. "However..." He said with a smirk as magic flames sprung from his hands and ignited the papers. "I say to hell with the Magic Council!" The old master tossed the burning pile down as Natsu jumped and caught it in his mouth, Alyssa giggling at his actions. However, everyone turned their attention to Makarov as he continued his speech.

"Now remember, any power that surpasses reason still comes from reason, right? Magic isn't some kind of miraculous power. It is a talent that only works when the flow of energy created inside of us works in synchronization with our hearts and souls. To perform magic, one must have a strong mind and the ability to focus. It should take over your being and come pouring out of your soul. If all we worry about is following rules, then our magic will never progress. Don't let those blowhards on the council scare you. Follow the path you believe in!" He smiled and raised his hand in the air with his pointer and thumb extended and the back of his hand facing outward. "Because that's what makes the Fairy Tail Guild number one!"

The guildmates cheered and made the same symbol as the master finished his speech. As they cheered, Lucy smiled at Mira, feeling that she was going to like it here.

_**And then...** _

Mira pressed a magic stamp on Lucy's left hand and removed it, revealing a pink version of the Fairy Tail mark. "Now, you're officially a member!" The barmaid smiled.

"Wow, I can't believe it was that easy," Lucy said as she looked at her new guild mark in astonishment. She headed towards Team Bravestar as they were browsing the job request board. "Hey, guys! Check it out! I got my guild mark!" She said, showing them her new mark.

"That's great, Lucy!" Alyssa said as she gave the shorter woman a hug…one that quickly began to hurt.

"Alyssa...that's too tight," Lucy groaned.

"Oh, sorry!" Alyssa said and let go of Lucy, the blonde rubbing her back.

"I know that feeling," Zeke commented.

"Ya better get used to it, 'cause Alyssa's hugs pack a punch," Natsu joked.

"Aye!" Happy replied. The four went back to looking through the board as Lucy chatted with Mira and Cana at the bar.

"Hey, look at this one," Natsu pulled down a poster. "160,000 Jewel just to take out a few thieves."

"Sounds like easy money," Zeke said. However, everyone's attention was soon drawn in by the door opening up.

"Let me go!" A young boy with dark blue hair and black eyes shouted as he struggled against the smoke magic that was currently holding him. Said smoke was coming out of the pipe of a squinty-eyed man with a light green shirt with a dark green floral pattern, a brown pompadour, red pants, and black shoes.

"Not until you calm down," the man stated as he dragged the boy into the guildhall and brought him towards Makarov.

"Romeo!" A woman with long dark purple hair and violet eyes said as she approached the two. She had a flowy orange shirt with green accents, a knee-length orange skirt, and brown sandals. "Just what were you up to, young man?"

"I caught him trying to book it to Mt. Hakobe," the man with the pompadour said as he dismissed his smoke magic, dropping Romeo and revealing the boy's green t-shirt with an S symbol, red shorts, and green sandals. "Luckily, I was out gettin' some tobacco, or else he'd be long gone by now."

"Thank you, Wakaba," the woman said before looking down at the boy with a stern look. "What were you thinking, young man?"

With a scowl, the boy stood up and glared at his mother. "Well, no one else is willing to go check on Dad!"

"I told you before, Romeo; Have some faith in your father," Makarov commented from his seat at the bar. "He's a wizard like everyone in this guild. He can handle himself just fine."

The Bravestar trio each had a concerned look on their face. Alyssa turned and saw a black-haired man with tribal clothing reading the job requests as well, standing at about her height.

"Hey, Nab. What kind of quest did Macao take?" she asked.

"Vulcan hunting," he replied. "Apparently, it was supposed to be a three-day mission, but Macao's been gone for over a week. He's probably just taking his time."

Romeo just looked up at the adults, his eyes starting to water up. "You…you're all a bunch of jerks!"

He ran out of the guildhall, and his mother gave chase.

"Good luck, Enno," Wakaba said as he took a puff of his pipe. "That kid's got his sister's stubbornness."

"That's tough," Lucy stated. However, after hearing the sound of wood breaking, she turned and saw Natsu walking away from the job request board, which now had a large dent in it.

"Geez, Natsu! You almost split the board in two!" Nab cried out as Happy began to walk out with Natsu. Alyssa and Zeke looked at each other before nodding, following after the Dragon-Slayer and cat.

_**And then...** _

It was business as usual for Natsu as he was lying on Alyssa's lap with his face turning green. She was wearing a red snow coat with matching pants, orange snow boots, earmuffs, and purple gloves. Happy sat on the floor in a fluffy yellow sweater, Zeke sat across from them in a black snow coat, pants, green gloves, and Lucy sat next to him in her regular wardrobe. The five of them were currently in a pig-drawn carriage headed to Mt. Hakobe.

"So why did you decide to come with us?" Alyssa asked the Celestial wizard.

"I thought I could help you guys," Lucy replied, thinking back to the talk she had with Mirajane shortly after Team Bravestar left the guild. Of course, she was surprised that Natsu really was raised by a dragon named Igneel. She also found it sad when she heard about how Igneel had left Natsu one day before he came to Fairy Tail. It wasn't hard to figure that Natsu didn't want Romeo to go through the same pain he did.

"Then why are you wearing a skirt?" Zeke asked. "You realize that we're going to a mountain, right?"

"Oh, come on. How bad can it be?"

"Prepare to be surprised."

A few hours later, the carriage stopped with the driver saying that he brought them as far as he could take them. And after Lucy was treated to the bizarre sight of Zeke shoving a bottle of green liquid down Natsu's throat, the quintet opened the door, subjecting themselves to the harsh and snowy winds of Mt. Hakobe.

"What the hell is this?!" Lucy screamed. "I know we're on a mountain, but it's the middle of summer right now!"

"That's what you get for wearing light clothing," Natsu stated as Happy nodded in agreement.

"And you two are dressed for the occasion!" She pointed at Natsu and Happy's lack of weather-appropriate attire before shivering again.

"Fire wizard, I'm basically immune to extreme heat and cold," Natsu said.

"And I'm a cat; I'm covered in fur, so this sweater's all I need," Happy explained.

"Well, you could've told me to change! I've got winter clothes in my suitcase!" Lucy yelled. "Seriously, what's up with this blizzard?!"

"No one really knows," Zeke said, looking around with his new magic goggles. "Some say a witch with a grudge cursed this mountain, some say an angry wind elemental causes the winds, and others say there's some kind of mystical artifact buried deep within the mountain doing all this. Either way, Mt. Hakobe is famous for having year-round blizzards."

"Y-you don't say," Lucy replied as Alyssa gave her a spare blanket from her backpack. The blonde still shivered a bit until she came up with an idea.

"Hold up," Lucy said as she pulled out a silver key. " _Open, Gate of the Clock Constellation - Horologium!_ " And out of the blue magic circle came a large grandfather clock with stick-like black arms and the hands on the clock forming a pseudo-mustache.

"So that's how a Celestial Spirit is summoned," Zeke observed with interest.

"So cool!" Happy exclaimed.

Lucy went inside the clock and closed the glass door. She started talking, but the others couldn't hear her.

"What was that?" Alyssa asked.

"She says it's too cold, so I'm staying in here," the Clock spirit responded.

"Then why did you tag along?" Natsu asked.

Lucy seemingly ignored that question with Horologium's next line. "What kind of crazy mission would force Macao to come to a place like this? She inquires."

"Nab said he came out here to fight a bunch of vulcans. They're giant ape monsters with really short fuses," Alyssa explained, scaring Lucy a bit.

"On second thought, I want to go back to the guild, she proclaims."

"Go ahead and be my guest, I say back," Natsu stated as he started looking for his guildmate. The group began to yell Macao's name as they trekked up the mountainside. But as they searched, something was watching them from high above. With a snarl from its nose, the creature roared and jumped towards the wizards. They barely managed to dodge, and when the snow cleared, they saw a large black & white ape-like creature. The beast glared at the humans with a sadistic look on his face.

"It's a vulcan! Get ready to fight!" Zeke proclaimed as his bracelet transformed into its longbow form. " _Arch Shot: Penta Arrow!"_

He unleashed an arrow spell that split into five smaller arrows. The vulcan jumped out of the way, but that left him open for Natsu to attack from its right.

" _Fire Dragon's Blazing Fist!"_ With a fiery fist, the Dragon-Slayer punched the vulcan into the mountainside. Determined to keep up the team's momentum, Alyssa rushed towards the creature with magic enveloping her legs.

"Take this, scimmia! _Boost Magic: Boost-"_

What happened next was truly unexpected as the vulcan got up and roared, creating a red magic circle in front of his right hand. The ape then proceeded to pull out a ridiculously-long curved blade. Alyssa barely had time to dodge and leap back from the sweeping slashes.

"An odachi?!" Zeke proclaimed. But the surprises weren't over as the vulcan talked!

"Stupid humans, climb up me mountain!" the vulcan roared as it held the odachi up with both hands. "ME BURN STUPID HUMANS TO ASH!"

"THE VULCAN TALKED?!" Happy screamed as suddenly, the odachi's blade was coated in purple fire magic. Natsu, Alyssa, Zeke, and Happy's eyes widened as the ape creature roared before stabbing the flaming odachi into the ground. A massive explosion erupted from the ground that pushed Zeke and Alyssa back. But unfortunately for Natsu, the force of the blast was enough to send him off the cliff.

"NATSU!" Alyssa shouted.

"I'll get him!" Happy said as he summoned his wings. Zeke, Alyssa, and Lucy stared at the smug-looking vulcan, readying themselves. It charged at them, holding the flaming odachi in one hand. The vulcan swung the sword, forcing Zeke and Alyssa to dodge. But the vulcan followed up by swinging the odachi at Zeke and launching a crescent wave of purple fire.

" _Shield!"_ A small green barrier manifested in front of Zeke and blocked the spell. But the force of the impact still pushed him off the cliff. He managed to grab onto the cliffside just in the nick of time.

Alyssa attempted to attack the vulcan, but the ape monster managed to grab her and throw her into the mountainside. This left Lucy, still inside of Horologium, alone against the white-furred terror. The beast took one look at her, and to Lucy's shock, drool began to drip down his lips.

"BANANA!" The odachi vanished, and the creature grabbed Horologium, with Lucy still inside the Celestial Spirit.

"Oh come on, why me? She asks furiously," Horologium relayed as the ape monster ran away with them. Zeke barely managed to catch a glimpse of which way the vulcan was taking Lucy as he lifted himself back onto the cliff. He ran towards Alyssa and helped her up.

"Did that really just happen?" Alyssa asked as she and Zeke looked towards the direction the vulcan ran off.

"Yup. There's no mistaking those purple flames," Zeke said with a solemn look on his face. "That was Macao's magic."

A little while later, the vulcan had brought Lucy and Horologium to its den, a cavern at the mountain's summit. Said ape creature was also doing a crazy dance and making strange noises as it circled them.

"How did I get myself into this mess?" Lucy asked tearfully inside the clock spirit. "And why is this monkey so excited?"

As if in answer to her question, the vulcan pressed his face against the glass, scaring Lucy as it yelled, "BANANA!"

"What?!" Lucy screamed. She then realized that the vulcan must have confused her blonde hair for the skin of a banana. Grotesque images of the creature peeling her head open and eating what was inside filled her mind as all the color drained from Lucy's face.

To make matters worse, Horologium disappeared, leaving Lucy at the mercy of the hungry vulcan. "Where did you go, Cog?! Don't you disappear on me!"

_"Sorry, but my time's up. Take care,"_ Horologium's disembodied voice replied.

"GIVE ME AN EXTENSION!" She yelled as the vulcan closed in on her.

" _Boost Magic: Enhanced Punch!"_ Lucy and the vulcan turned to see Alyssa sliding towards them on the icy cavern floors with her arm coated in magic. Faster than the vulcan could react, Alyssa socked it right in its face and sent it flying into a pile of snow.

"Right in the kisser!" Alyssa cheered with a huge grin until she realized she was sliding uncontrollably towards a pillar of ice. "MERDA!" She slammed face-first into the pillar. "Owie."

"You okay, Lucy?" She turned and saw Zeke approaching her.

"Ya, you guys saved me before the big gorilla could make a snack out of me," Lucy said as she stood up. But their attention was drawn by the sound of clattering rocks as the vulcan got back up. And this time, it conjured up a massive claymore. "What's up with this vulcan?"

"Vulcans are A-Class Magi-Beasts," Zeke explained. "They can use Possession Magic to take over other living creatures. When they take over humans, their intellect increases to the point where they can talk. And if that human happens to be a wizard…"

The vulcan roared, once more coating his weapon in purple flames. "…they can use their magic."

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. "Wait a second, this ape is that Macao guy?"

Zeke nodded as he aimed his bow at the creature. As the vulcan charged at Zeke & Lucy, Alyssa got back and delivered a spin kick to force it back.

"So, what do we do now?" Lucy asked.

"Well, since none of us know any kind of exorcism magic," Zeke said before firing an arrow spell that hit the vulcan, knocking claymore out of its hand. "We've just gotta beat the vulcan out of him."

Lucy nodded and pulled out a golden key. "Got it! _Open, Gate of the Golden Bull - Taurus!_ " Out of the gate came a towering anthropomorphic bull wearing dark blue trunks carrying a gold axe as tall as himself. He let out a loud moo and struck a pose.

'Is that a cow…man?' Zeke thought as he took in the sight of the new Celestial Spirit. 'How does that even work?'

"Taurus is the strongest melee spirit I've got a contract with," Lucy proclaimed with a confident smirk. "He should be more than a match for that monkey."

"Oh, wow, Miss Lucy. I almost forgot how sexy your body is," Tauros said with lust-filled eyes, practically drooling at the sight of his master. "Why don't you come over here and give me a smoooooch?"

"Oh yeah," Lucy said with a face-palm. "He's also a huge pervert."

'That just raises even more questions!' Zeke thought as the vulcan retrieved its claymore and growled at the sight of Taurus.

"Stupid cow-man."

Taurus glared at the creature. "Oh, them's fightin' words, ya moooonkey!"

"Get him!" Lucy ordered. With a huge grin, Tauros grabbed his massive axe and spun it above his head.

" _Groundsplitter!"_ Tauros shouted and slammed his axe into the cavern floor. A burst of energy erupted from the ground and headed straight for the vulcan. It dodged the shockwave-

" _Arch Shot: Demolition Arrow!"_

-only to be hit by one of Zeke's arrow spells. The increasingly angry ape monster reared its arm back to launch a fire spell, but Alyssa grabbed its arm with her Boost Magic flowing through her body.

" _Boost Magic: Grand Toss!"_ Alyssa tossed the vulcan through one of the ice pillars. The creature quickly got back up and started flinging purple fire magic at the wizards. Suddenly everyone stopped as they all heard a loud sizzling sound. They all turned to see one of the cavern walls was melting. It exploded in red hot rocks and steam.

"Hey, banana brain!" Came Natsu's voice. The steam cleared to reveal Natsu and Happy standing in their makeshift entrance. "You've got a lot of nerve to possess Macao, and you're gonna give him back right now!"

"Natsu!" Alyssa exclaimed, rushing to hug her boyfriend.

"Wait, how did you survive?" Lucy asked.

"It was thanks to me!" Happy gloated as he floated.

"Wait, so you can't handle other modes of transportation, but you can handle Happy just fine?" she asked.

"What sort of question is that?" Natsu replied in a perplexed tone. The vulcan looked between the conversing wizards, feeling a tad ignored. "Happy's not a vehicle. He's my friend!"

"Uhm, well, I guess that makes sense," Lucy said, more confused than before.

"Guys, stow the small talk! We got a magic monkey to deal with!" Zeke shouted to everyone back on track.

"Right!"

_(Music Que - Fairy Tail Main Battle Theme)_

The battle began anew as the vulcan grew impatient, firing a crescent wave of purple fire at Natsu and Alyssa. However, the dragon-slayer opened his mouth, consuming the fire and causing the vulcan's eyes to bug out in disbelief.

"You might have Macao's magic, but you don't have his brains!" Natsu said as he and Alyssa began channeling their magic through their arms.

"Hope you're ready, scimmia stupida! 'Cause we're gonna beat you right out of our friend!" Alyssa proclaimed as she and Natsu charged ahead.

" _Fire Dragon's Blazing Fists!"_

" _Boost Magic: Grand-Combo Punch!"_

The energetic couple engaged in a melee brawl with the vulcan, avoiding the ape's claymore swings, landing fiery & supercharged hits respectively when they could. From a distance, Zeke saw another magic circle manifest behind the vulcan. A katana appeared, and the vulcan took hold of it with its tail. Ever vigilant, Zeke quickly aimed a magic arrow.

" _Arch Shot: Drill Arrow!"_

Just as the vulcan swung the katana, Zeke's arrow pierced the blade, shattering it to pieces. But he quickly adapted, stabbing the claymore into the ground and using it as leverage to kick Natsu & Alyssa back.

"MOOOOOOO!" Taurus attacked the vulcan fast and hard. The vulcan swung its claymore to deflect the cow spirit's axe. Sparks flew through the air as the blades clashed. Taurus and the vulcan were each giving it their all. But as strong as the vulcan was, Taurus was stronger, eventually knocking the claymore out of the beast's hand.

At this point, the creature was growing desperate. With a roar, the vulcan summoned a stream of purple fire to force Taurus back. He grabbed chunks of the icy floor and started tossing them at his opponents. While Natsu was able to melt the icy projectiles with his body heat instantly, everyone else was forced to dodge.

Zeke slid on the floor to evade the ice, aiming his bow right at the vulcan.

"Sorry about this, Macao," Zeke said as he readied his next spell. " _Arch Shot: Demolition Arrow!"_

It seemed as though the vulcan's luck had finally run out as Zeke's spell hit him head-on, and a green explosion sent the beast flying into a cavern wall.

_(Music Que End)_

Suddenly, the beast began to glow a blinding yellow light. When the light faded, an unconscious Macao was left embedded in the wall as the now smaller vulcan ran out of the cave, whimpering in fear.

"You better run!" Alyssa yelled before helping Natsu and Zeke get Macao out of the wall. After dismissing Taurus, Lucy put a blanket down for the unconscious wizard. For the next two hours, the team used the medical supplies from Happy's backpack to patch up the older wizard.

"He must have put up a good fight before the vulcan possessed him," Happy contemplated based on the fact that the wounds his body didn't match any of the injuries Bravestar inflicted on the vulcan while it possessed him. Almost as soon as Happy spoke, Macao started to stir and opened his eyes.

"Natsu...Happy...Alyssa...Zeke," Macao said through the pain.

"Welcome back," Alyssa said with a smile.

"Ah, man. Did I really let a vulcan possess me?" he groaned.

"Yup. Sorry about that," Zeke said as Macao let out a tired sigh.

"Gods, I'm pathetic. I was able to beat up nineteen of those brutes, but it was the twentieth one that caught me off guard." Lucy was stunned that he managed to beat nineteen of those monsters. "I doubt I can face Romeo like this."

"What are you talking about?" Natsu asked enthusiastically. "You defeated nineteen monsters by yourself. That's something to be proud of."

"Justicia knows I couldn't do something like that," Zeke joked.

"And even when you were possessed, your magic was sorprendente!" Alyssa exclaimed excitedly.

Macao stared at them in disbelief, and despite the pain couldn't help laugh as a smile spread across his face. "You guys always know how to lighten the mood."

"Well, come on," Natsu said as he and everyone else helped Macao up. "Your family's waitin' for you."

With a smile on his face, Macao took his first step on his journey home. "Right."

_**And then...** _

As the sun began to set over Magnolia, Romeo was sitting in on the steps of his house, his expression laden with worry and sadness.

"Romeo." The young boy turned and saw his mother approach him. Enno took a seat next to him, gently rubbing his head as he rested it on his shoulder. "I know you're worried about your father. But you can't take it out on everyone else."

"…it's not just that," Romeo answered. "The kids at school, they were saying all this stupid crap about wizards and Fairy Tail. I tried to not let it bother me and ignore them, but…but…" He stopped to wipe the tears from his eyes. "Then they started making fun of dad, saying he was a lazy, stupid drunk. I just wanted to prove them wrong and make them stop, so I made dad go on that stupid vulcan hunting job. Now he's…"

"Oh, sweetie," Enno said as she hugged her son. "You can't do this to yourself."

"B-b-but…"

"Macao chose to go on that mission. It was his decision, not yours," Enno explained. "No matter what happens, you can't blame yourself."

Romeo's eyes watered as he hugged Enno back. But as the two embraced, they heard Alyssa calling out Romeo's name. They looked and gasped when they saw Team Bravestar walking towards them with a grinning Macao right in the middle.

Overcome with joy, Romeo ran and tackled his father into a hug. "Dad!"

"Hey, kiddo!" Macao said, his son's tears staining his coat.

"I'm so sorry! I can handle the bullying!" Romeo cried with tears pouring out of his eyes. "Because I'm a wizard's son!"

Macao just patted his son on the head in comfort. "No, I'm sorry for making you worry so much." Romeo looked up at his dad and saw his smile. "But the next time those bullies pick on you, ask them this. 'Can your dad beat up nineteen monsters on his own? Because mine can.'"

"Macao." Macao looked up and saw his wife smiling at him, noticing that her eyes were slightly watery. Enno didn't want to admit it to Romeo, but she was also worried about her husband. With tears of happiness pricking the corners of her eyes and a broad smile on her face, she ran forward and hugged her two boys.

Team Bravestar and Lucy could feel the warmth and love radiating from the reunited Conbolts and couldn't help smile. They wordlessly turned to leave and give the family some privacy. But as they did, they heard Romeo call out to them.

"Guys, thanks for bringing my dad back!" Romeo said as he waved goodbye. "Lucy, thanks for helping them!"

"No problem," Natsu said as he gave a thumbs-up as the rest of the team waved back with smiles on their faces.

As they walked back to the guildhall, Lucy thought about all she experienced that day. Sure, the Fairy Tail wizards were all crazy in their own way. But they were also fun, kind, sincere, and warmhearted. She had only been a Fairy Tail wizard for less than a day, but Lucy could already tell that she was going to love being a member of this crazy but wonderful guild.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you guys have definitely noticed that I've changed up Zeke and Alyssa's original magic. Honestly, I started to regret how I designed them since they were either unoriginal (I originally designed Arch Shot Magic to work almost exactly like the Quincies from Bleach) or way too overpowered (I definitely made Alyssa's Speed Queen Magic waaaaaay too fast).
> 
> You eagle-eyed readers might've also noticed that I've tweaked Macao's magic a bit. And trust me, I got big plans for the blue-haired pyromancer.
> 
> Next Time: Infiltrate the Everlue Mansion! Please remember to read and review!
> 
> See ya next time!


	3. Infiltrate the Everlue Mansion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucy (with the help of Team Bravestar) goes on her first job; stealing a book from an eccentric billionare. It doesn't go so well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga is a non-profit fanfiction series.
> 
> Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.
> 
> Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.
> 
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_Chapter 3: Infiltrate the Everlue Mansion_

A few days after the Mt. Hakobe incident, Lucy had found a comfy little apartment for herself. Alyssa had offered her a room at Fairy Hills, Fairy Tail's women's dormitory, but the blonde girl wanted a place to call her own. She had just gotten out of a relaxing hot bath and was changing when she heard a knock on her door.

"Be there in a sec," Lucy said as she put on a red t-shirt and jeans. She opened her door and saw Alyssa clad in a red tracksuit. She also had something strapped to her back, but Lucy couldn't quite make out what it was.

"Buongiorno, Lucy," Alyssa greeted as she wiped some sweat off her brow.

"Mornin', Alyssa," Lucy replied. "What brings you to my cozy little place?"

"Oh, I was just doing some early morning jogging. And since I was passing by, I figured I'd stop by to see how you're doing."

"Aw, thanks," Lucy said. "Hey, if you want something to drink, you can come on in."

"Thanks, Lucy," Alyssa said. And as she walked in, Lucy's eyes widened as she got a good look at what Alyssa was carrying on her back. A massive block of solid iron.

"Just what kind of jogging you were doing?" Lucy asked with a shocked expression as Alyssa placed the iron block near the door, making a loud 'thud' sound as it touched the floor.

"Oh, nothing too tough. Just a few laps around Magnolia with some extra weight," Alyssa said with absolute sincerity as she rolled and rubbed her shoulders, all with a cheery smile to boot. Lucy figured she'd be better off not asking Alyssa what she considered a 'tough' workout to be.

A few minutes later, the blonde brought them two cups of tea.

"Sorry about the place," Lucy said, looking around at the luggage strewn about the apartment. "I wasn't ready to have guests over yet."

"It's alright," Alyssa replied as she took a sip of her tea. "Ooh, this is pretty good. It's got a bit of kick to it; what kind is it?"

"It's ginger tea," Lucy said. Her expression changed to one of curiosity. "You know, I'm surprised you even decided to visit me. I figured you and the guys would already be off on another job."

"Well, Zeke's the one who usually picks out our jobs," Alyssa explained. "He should be at the guild right about now."

Back at the Fairy Tail guildhall, the brunette archer was looking over the job request board, sipping a cup of coffee.

"Exorcism, Ɉ70,000…Museum Thieves, Ɉ85,000…Giant Frog infestation, Ɉ167,000…"

"Mornin', Zeke," He turned and saw Nab approaching the board.

"Hey, Nab," Zeke said as they both looked over the various flyers. "Finally, gonna pick a job today?"

"Just waiting for the right one," Nab stated. "How about you?"

"I'm trying to pick a job that pays well, but where we won't end up blowing something up," Zeke explained.

"Isn't that asking water not to be wet with you guys?" Nab joked. Zeke was about to say something in protest but sighed as he continued to look.

Back at Lucy's apartment, Alyssa explained how, since team Bravestar were the ones that recruited her, Lucy was somewhat their responsibility.

"I wouldn't call being grabbed while running from the army 'recruiting,'" Lucy answered with a sweat-drop. The two ladies continued to chat until the conversation steered towards their magic.

"So, you need to be insanely strong to use Boost Magic?" Lucy asked for clarification.

"Yup. Trust me, I tried using Boost Magic when I was younger and smaller," Alyssa explained as her face suddenly gained a haunted look. "I tried punching an ogre with my magic, and I ended up breaking every bone in my arm."

"Holy shit, talk about a drawback," Lucy said, feeling sorry for the orange-haired woman. But Alyssa's expression went back to her usual enthusiastic look as she flexed her arms.

"I know, right? But that's why I've pushed my body past its limits for over ten years! Now, my limbs just get a bit numb if I use my magic too much."

'That still sounds like a drawback,' Lucy thought.

"Although speaking of magic, how does yours work?" Alyssa asked. "'Cause I've never seen Celestial Magic before."

"Well, Celestial Magic lets me summon spirits from this place called the Celestial Realm," Lucy explained, getting up from the table and walking towards a nearby drawer. "Celestial Wizards use these things called Gate Keys to summon them to our world." Lucy pulled out her keyring that held three gold keys and four silver keys, each of them bore a unique design. Lucy smiled as she took them off the keyring, laying them on the table.

"I'm contracted with six in total. Not to brag or anything, but I've even got a few different types." First, she gestured to the silver keys. "These silver keys are the kinds you can find in any store. So far, I've got three of these; Horologium the Clock, Lyra the Harp, and Crux the Southern Cross." She then pointed to the three golden keys. "And these are the gold keys. They're super rare, and there are only twelve of them. They open the gates of the Zodiac Spirits. I've got Taurus the Golden Bull, Aquarius the Water Bearer, and Cancer the Giant Crab."

"Woah," Alyssa said, in awe of how well-crafted the keys looked. "So are there only Gold & Silver Keys, or are there keys of different colors?"

"I'm not sure; I've only heard of the Gold & Silver keys," Lucy answered as Alyssa noticed something.

"What about that fourth silver key?" Referring to the key with a blue silhouette of a wolf's head on the base and teeth shaped like a wolf paw.

"Oh, that's Lupus the Wolf. I actually bought this back in Hargeon, so I haven't formed a contract with it yet," Lucy explained before she got an idea. "Hey, you wanna see how a contract between a wizard and a Celestial Spirit is made?"

"Hell yeah!" Alyssa said with glee. Lucy had a slight giggle at this. Despite how tall and intimidating the Boost Wizard looked, she was insanely friendly and enthusiastic.

"Alright then," Lucy said as she stood up and held out her new silver key. "Now pay attention. _I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits. I beckon you to my side at once. Pass through the gate!"_ Lucy chanted as a magic circle appeared under her feet. " _Open, Gate of the Wolf - Lupus!_ "

The spirit that appeared through the gate was…small in stature, about the size of an average twelve-year-old girl. She looked like one as well, the only difference being wolf ears on top of them. She had cornflower blue eyes and silver shoulder-length hair. Her outfit consisted of a zipped-up white hoodie that seemed one size too big for her, black fingerless gloves, black shorts with a hole for her silver tail, and white bandages wrapped around her feet. The wolf spirit looked up at Lucy and tilted her head.

"Hiya! Are you my new master?"

"I am. My name's Lucy," she said politely and held her hand out. The wolf girl saw this and then enthusiastically shook her new master's hand with both of hers.

"Nice to meet you! My name is Lupus! Let's kick all kinds of butt together," She said with a gigawatt smile that made Lucy giggle.

"Aw, aren't you such a cutie patootie," Lucy said as she patted the wolf girl's head, making her tail wag with happiness. It took every fiber of Alyssa's will not to rush in and hug the adorable spirit.

"Is…is this really a spirit?" Alyssa asked with sparkles in her eyes. "Cosi Carino! Hey, do you mind if I…"

"Go ahead," Lucy said, the look in Alyssa's eyes telling her all she needed to know. Alyssa placed her hand on Lupus's head and began to rub it, the wolf girl sighing with joy.

"That's so nice. Your friend is really nice, Miss Lucy," the wolf girl said with a lazy smile.

"Morbido," Alyssa squealed as she and Lucy continued to pet the girl.

"It doesn't take a lot of energy to summon these little guys, so a lot of celestial wizards keep them as pets," Lucy explained. After a few minutes, the two stopped petting the spirit, much to Alyssa's disappointment, and Lucy pulled out a notepad and pencil as she faced the Celestial Spirit. "Alright then, let's move onto the contract."

"Okie-Dokie!" the wolf girl said with an excited smile.

"Are Mondays a good day for you?"

"Yup!"

"Tuesdays?"

"Yup!"

Lucy continued to ask the tiny wolf girl about what times & days were good for her. And to the blonde's joy, the child-like spirit was available 24/7, all while Alyssa watched.

"And done!" Lucy said as the spirit and caster shook hands.

"Yay! Let's kick all kinds of butt together, Miss Lucy!" Lupus said with an adorable smile.

"Is making a contract really that easy?" Alyssa asked.

"I know it might seem easy, but it was very important," Lucy explained. "When a contract between a Celestial Wizard and Spirit is made, it becomes an important promise. That's why I always make it a priority to keep my promises."

The wolf spirit looked at her new wizard in awe. She was about to say something but then decided not to.

"Now, all we need to do is to give you a name."

"I thought her name was Lupus?" Alyssa asked.

"Oh, that's just the name of my species," the wolf girl explained as Lucy tried to think up a name.

"Really? Do your other spirits have names, Lucy?"

"Of course," Lucy said. "My Horilogium is named Cogsworth, but I like to call him Cog for short, my Lyra's name is Melody, and my Crux is named Grandpa Raymond."

"Okay," Alyssa said. "But what about your gold ones? You didn't give them names?"

"Actually, they already have names," Lucy said, but Alyssa gave her a confused look. "Let me explain." Lucy picked up Taurus's key. "Unlike silver spirits, the twelve golden zodiac spirits are all the only members of their respective classifications, so their species name is also their proper name. Taurus here is the only Taurus Spirit, same for Aquarius, Cancer, and the rest."

"But there are lots and lots of Lupus spirits like me," the wolf spirit chimed in.

"I get it," Alyssa said. "But what happens if you don't give a silver spirit a name?"

Lucy blinked in surprise. "I mean, technically, we're not required to name out silver spirits, but I've never met a Celestial Wizard who hasn't." She turned back to Lupus. "Sorry about that, didn't mean to get distracted."

"It's okay, Miss Lucy."

"Say, Lupus," Alyssa said, getting the spirit's attention. "If there are "lots and lots" of you guys, then how do you tell each other apart?"

"There are lots of subtle ways. There's the scent, eye color, fur color and pattern, sound of their voice, all sorts of things." As the little wolf spirit listed all those off, Lucy finally decided on a name.

"I've got it!" She said, getting the two's attention. "How about Vali?"

"That sounds awesome!" the newly-named Vali proclaimed, celebrating by doing some fighting poses, the girls giggling at her enthusiasm. "Vali, the super wolf spirit! I like the sound of that!"

"Alright, I'm gonna finish my jog," Alyssa said as she put the iron block back on her back, much to Vali's shock. "See you at the guild, Lucy!"

"Ya, see you later," Lucy replied as the brawny woman walked out of her apartment.

"Are all your friends as interesting as her, Miss Lucy?" Vali asked.

"Interesting is one way to put it."

_**And then...** _

After having breakfast with her new spirit and returning her to the Celestial Realm, Lucy headed over to the guildhall. Because it was still early in the morning, there weren't as many people around as usual. Lucy looked around and saw Team Bravestar sitting at a table, Alyssa having changed back into her everyday outfit.

"I'm telling ya, its teeth were as big as my arm," Natsu stated as he explained the monster he had fought earlier that morning.

"I guess their migrating season started early this year," Zeke responded.

"Hey, guys," Lucy said, getting their attention.

"Oh, hey, Lucy," Happy said.

"Ah, just the blonde I wanted to see," Zeke said as he pulled up a chair for her. She took a seat and then noticed all four members of Team Bravestar staring rather intently at her.

"Uh, what's going on?"

"Happy, if you would," Zeke said, ignoring Lucy's question.

"Aye, sir," Happy said as he jumped up on the table. He pulled a tiny trumpet out of his backpack. He started playing a ceremonial tune as Natsu, Alyssa, and Zeke stood and saluted.

"We, Natsu Dragneel, Alyssa Gagliardi, Ezekiel Hudson, and Happy the cat, officially invite you, Lucy Heartfilia, to join Team Bravestar," Zeke proclaimed.

"Really?!" Lucy exclaimed. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask why you guys have been calling yourselves a team."

"Allow me to explain," Happy said as he put away his trumpet. "While everyone in the guild is allied to each other, there are some who get along so well they join together and form teams, like us. Those teams can handle missions that are better suited for bigger parties or even help out other teams on perilous missions."

"That sounds awesome!" Lucy excitedly said. "And you guys really want me to join your team?"

"Sure. We all put it to a vote last night, and you seem like a nice girl," Alyssa said with a smile.

Natsu held out his fist. "So what do ya say? You wanna join Fairy's Greatest Team?"

Zeke and Alyssa held out their fists as Happy floated up with wings and held out his.

"You bet!" Lucy said. She stood and bumped her fist with theirs, officially joining the team. They all cheered, and Happy threw confetti all around. As the group had their little celebration, Gray was sitting near the bar, overhearing this entire conversation.

'Just great,' Gray thought. 'Another member of "team reckless and stupid."'

"Hey, Gray. Nice skivvies." He heard Mirajane say as she walked by with a tray full of drinks in hand. Gray looked down, and to his shock, he was in only his underwear.

"Damn it!" he shouted and started looking for his clothes.

"Alright, Lucy," Zeke said as he pulled out a request poster from his pocket. "I got your first job with the team right here."

"Cool!" Lucy said with glee as she grabbed the poster. "Shirotsume town, huh? That's not too far." She looked at the reward money, and her eyes went wide as dinner plates. "200,000 jewels just for stealing a book from some rich guy named Duke Everlue?!" But the blonde's excitement quickly waned as she saw a picture of a bizarre-looking man with a curly mustache and verrrrrry creepy smile. "Please note: Duke Everlue is a dirty old man who is currently looking for blonde maids." It took a second for the realization to hit her. "HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!"

"Well, lucky for us, we happen to know a blonde girl," Natsu said with a mischievous smirk.

"Aye. You can dress up like a maid and sneak us in," Happy followed up with an equal sneaky smirk.

"You guys tricked me!"

"Trick is such an ugly, yet very accurate, word," Zeke replied with a sly smile.

"Well, if you plan to distract him with a maid, why don't you have Alyssa dress up?" Lucy said as she pointed at the tall woman.

"Because I'm not blonde," Alyssa responded.

'Alyssa in a maid outfit,' Natsu thought as he started to imagine his girlfriend in such an outfit. He started blushing, and a perverted grin spread across his face. However, his fantasy was interrupted by the real Alyssa lightly pulling on his ear.

"Now, now, Natsu. You shouldn't be thinking about such lewd thoughts in front of friends," she lectured.

"You're right. Sorry about that," Natsu apologized. Alyssa smiled before leaning in and whispering something into his ear. Whatever she said caused steam to blow out his ears, and his entire body turned red.

"Look, don't sweat it, Lucy," Zeke explained to try and placate Lucy. "It's a Fairy Tail tradition for your first job to be somewhat humiliating."

"Oh, really?" Lucy said with a raised eyebrow, rather annoyed at her new teammates. "And what was your first job, Mr. Sneaky?"

"Well, I was supposed to collect rare seashells off the southern coast," Zeke explained before he gained a haunted look on his face. "I ended up getting swallowed by a giant slime."

"Run over by a pack of geo-boars," Natsu stated.

"Dunked in itchy-paint," Happy chimed in.

"Got caught in my own trap," Alyssa said.

"I…wow." Was all a stunned Lucy could say.

Zeke stood up with a determined look on his face. "Alright. I'm gonna go get this request signed. Let's meet up at the carriage rental in about an hour," he said and walked off. Lucy was still a bit miffed that her first job was basically acting as eye candy, but she figured that everyone has to start somewhere.

_**And then...** _

"You know now that I think about it, this is a pretty easy job," Lucy stated as the group rode in a carriage to Shirotsume. As usual, Natsu was lying in his girlfriend's lap, looking very pale as Alyssa stroked his hair.

"I thought you were mad about the job," Happy said as he munched on a fish.

"Ya, you seem pretty excited now," Zeke said as he sat next to her.

"Well, it is my first job." The blonde said as she pumped her fist in excitement. "I know I'm totally gonna rock it! After all, I just gotta sneak into a mansion and get a book."

"It's also the mansion of a dirty old man," Zeke said.

"That's what makes it so easy." Lucy gave a cute pose. "With my good looks, I'll charm my way in no time flat."

"Meh, all you humans look alike to me," Happy said bluntly, causing Lucy's eye to twitch.

"Anyway, I think we should talk about our pay scale," Lucy said. "Since I'm doing most of the work, I think we should split it at 60: 10: 10: 10: 10."

"You only want 10%?" Alyssa asked.

"I'm getting the sixty!"

Over the next few hours, team Bravestar, sans Natsu, who was trying not to barf all over Alysa, discussed various topics. Finally, the team had reached Shirotsume Town and got off the wagon. "Alright," Lucy began to say as she read the job poster. "First things'-"

"Quit being a baby and drink it!" Lucy turned and was once again greeted with the sight of Zeke forcing a wheezing Natsu to drink some foul-looking green liquid.

"Okay, is this going to be a regular thing?" Lucy asked Happy and Alyssa.

"Aye," Happy replied. "If Natsu doesn't take his motion-sickness medicine, he'll be all groggy and cranky for hours."

"It wouldn't be so bad if the medicine didn't taste like ass!" Natsu shouted as he stood right up.

"Come on, how bad could it be?" Lucy asked. She got her answer when Happy pulled another bottle out of his bag and uncorked it. The putrid smell made the Celestial Wizard's eyes water and burned her nostrils so bad she was sure it had gotten rid of her nose hair. "Holy shit! What's in that stuff!?" She could only imagine how that foul-smelling substance tasted.

"No idea," Alyssa said with a shrug. "All we know is that it's the only thing that works."

"So, do you guys want to do anything before we meet our client?" Zeke asked.

"Let's grab a bite!" Natsu said as he pointed to a nearby cafe.

Zeke sweatdropped. "Of course."

"Can't you just eat your own fire?" Lucy asked.

"Great idea, and why don't you just eat your fish lady or that cow spirit of yours while you're at it?" Natsu asked back.

"Why would I do something like that?!" Lucy exclaimed with a horrified expression.

"It's the same thing, really."

Lucy sweatdropped at this. "So you can eat fire, but just not your own? That's kind of weird."

Natsu simply pouted and headed for the restaurant. "You coming?"

"Nah, I got something else to do real quick," Lucy said as she ran into town. "Catch ya later."

"So much for eating as a team," Alyssa said as she crossed her arms.

'Probably thought she'd end up paying for us again,' Zeke thought as the group headed in.

A few minutes later, the group was enjoying their lunch. Natsu was eating several different types of meats, Happy was chowing down on some sushi, Alyssa was enjoying her third bowl of beef noodles, and Zeke was just staring at his friends as he held up a burger.

"You would think I'd be used to watching you guys gorge yourselves by now," he said with a chuckle.

"Hey, you could stand to put some meat on your bones," Natsu said through a mouth of chicken. "And make sure to leave some food for Lucy. She'll need the energy for the mission."

"Let's save all the fat," Happy said. "From the looks of her, that seems to be what she likes the most."

Alyssa gave Happy a disappointed look and started lecturing him with a full mouth of noodles that roughly translated to, "Happy! You shouldn't make fun of a woman's weight!"

"Hold up, cat! What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy's voice called out from behind.

"Oh Lucy, perfect ti-" Natsu started as the group turned and saw Lucy in a maid uniform. To her credit, it was a lot more tasteful than you would think. "Um…wow."

"I know. I look super-cute in this," Lucy said as she started her maid routine. "Have you had enough food, Master, or should I bring you some more? Your wish is my command."

"Hmph," Zeke said with a surprised expression. "You actually pull a convincing maid. Congrats."

"You were right about being super-cute." Alyssa smiled at her friend.

"Aw, thanks, guys," Lucy said bashfully as she saw Natsu had just gone back to eating. "Nothing to add, Natsu?" Natsu turned as Lucy winked at him. However, he simply gave Lucy a blank, uninterested stare.

"What am I supposed to say?" Natsu said flatly.

Lucy's eye twitched in annoyance. "You could say I look cute or something."

"Why? I already have a girlfriend," Natsu said as he swallowed his food.

"Aw! You're so sweet!" Alyssa blushed as she hugged Natsu and gave him a kiss, making him blush as well. Natsu kissed his girlfriend back, eliciting a giggle from her.

"Oh, Natsu…"

"Oh, Alyssa…"

"Oh, Natsu…"

"Oh, Alyssa…"

Zeke and Happy sweatdropped at the familiarly cheesy sight. Lucy joined them when she realized this was going to be a regular thing.

_**And then...** _

After lunch, the team met with their client, a man with grey hair and a short mustache dressed in a black suit. He invited them into his house, the group sitting on a couch across from him as his wife stood close by.

"Nice to meet you," the man said. "My name is Kaby Melon."

"I'm Natsu Dragneel," the Dragon-Slayer greeted back. "And your name sounds tasty."

Kaby chuckled at this. "I get that all the time."

'For some reason, that name sounds familiar,' Lucy thought to herself. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia."

"I'm Ezekiel Hudson. Yes, that Ezekiel Hudson," the brunette said with a cocky smirk. However, the older couple just looked at him in confusion. "You know, Archer Extraordinaire, heir to the Hudson Legacy, leader of Fairy Tail's Greatest Team?"

"I thought that was the Thunder Legion?" Mrs. Melon stated, making Zeke feel like someone had stabbed him right in the ego.

"Anywho, I'm Alyssa Gagliardi," the Boost Mage said quickly to try and move the conversation off of her embarrassed friend. "Lieto di vederla."

"Ah, similmente," Kaby replied, making Alyssa smile. It wasn't often she met someone who knew her native language.

"The name's Happy, and I'm a cat," the blue feline said proudly, puffing out his chest as best he could, making Mr. and Mrs. Melon chuckle.

"Yes, I see. I never would have guessed that wizards from the renowned Fairy Tail guild would accept my request."

"You know the guild but don't know the _actual_ best fuckin' team," Zeke grumbled. Lucy sweatdropped. Given Bravestar's reputation, the celestial mage figured they'd be better off not saying their team name.

"Now, about your mission," Kaby Melon began, his expression turning dark and severe. "I only ask one thing of you. I want you to find a book in Duke Everlue's mansion called 'Daybreak' and destroy it. That is all."

"Huh? But the job description said you wanted us to steal it," Alyssa said.

"Well, I am asking you to destroy someone else's property, so it's kind of like stealing."

"Well, that's definitely up our alley," Zeke said with a sweatdrop as he mentally recalled team Bravestar's many incidents of collateral damage.

"I'm sorry, but do you mind if I ask what's so important about this book?" Lucy asked. "I mean, a Ɉ200,000 reward seems like a lot for just destroying it."

"Actually, the reward has been raised to two million Jewel." At this new information, Team Bravestar's collective jaws hit the floor.

"TWO MILLION JEWEL!" Natsu yelled, his mind figuratively blown. "WOW, I SUCK AT MATH, BUT THAT'S A LOT!"

"Oh, wow!" Alyssa said as she started daydreaming about being surrounded by all the plushies she could buy.

"I GOT IT!" Zeke proclaimed as he did the calculations in his head. "SPLIT FIVE WAYS, THAT MEANS EACH OF US GETS 400,000!"

"Okay, I take back my 60:10:10:10:10 offer," Lucy said dreamily as thoughts of paying rent and having a crap ton of money left over floated around her head.

"FISH!" Happy said, drooling over all the seafood that he could buy with 400,000 Jewel.

"Oh my, it seems you weren't aware of the pay increase," Kaby deduced.

"Hey, for that kind of money, I'll burn down his whole mansion for ya!" Natsu said as he lit his pointer finger on fire.

"No way!" Lucy snapped. "I'm not going to jail for arson."

"Lucy raises a good point," Zeke followed up. "This is strictly a 'no collateral damage' mission. And that goes for everyone."

"Thank you," Mr. Melon replied solemnly. "I can't forgive that book's existence. It must be destroyed."

_**And then...** _

"Excuse me! I heard you had an opening for a maid! Hello?" Lucy shouted as she stood in front of the gates to a fancy mansion. 'This is gonna be so easy. Charm the old geezer with my looks, burn the book, and hello 400,000 jewels.'

Nearby, the rest of Team Morningstar were watching from behind some foliage.

"Knock 'em dead, Lucy," Alyssa whispered.

"Good luck." Natsu and Happy whispered together.

"You'll do great," Zeke whispered.

It wasn't long until a giant brute of a maid with pink hair burst from the ground in front of Lucy and she let out a shriek. "So you're a maid?" the beast of a woman asked as she looked Lucy up and down.

"Y-Yes, ma'am," Lucy squeaked.

"I assume you're here because of the master's ad."

Suddenly, something else burst out of the ground.

"Boyoyoyoyo!" The person landed, revealing the strangeness known as Duke Everlue. "Did someone say, Master?"

The bizarre sight of the rich man could be summarized in Zeke asking, "Guys, am I seeing things, or is that guy's mustache growing out of his nose."

"Nope, you're seeing that right," Natsu commented.

"I want to look away, but I can't stop staring," Alyssa said.

"Let's see here," Everlue said as he looked over Lucy as gave him her best cute poses.

"Well, I sure hope you like what you see," Lucy said seductively, giving Duke Everlue a look at her goods. The short man continued to stare, creeping Lucy out even as she managed to keep up the act.

"Hmmmmm…I'll pass," Everlue said. "Now scram ugly."

That comment felt like a stab in poor Lucy's pride.

"You heard the man," the giant maid said as she lifted Lucy up. "Beat it ugly."

And another stab.

"Sorry, but a man of my standing has certain standards to uphold," Everlue said. Four more maids popped out of the ground. "That's why I only hire the fairest of the fair."

And at the sight of these 'fair' maidens, the five wizards were stunned, confused, and offended, although that last one was more Lucy than anyone else. After being rejected, Lucy collapsed to her knees and started crying near a tree as Alyssa patted her back in comfort.

"Well, that plan was doomed from the start," Natsu stated as Happy nodded.

"I tried!" Lucy cried. "But that idiot wouldn't know beauty if it bit him in the ass!"

"Hey, it ain't your fault the duke has a…unique taste in women," Zeke said as gently as he could. "Alright, after Lucy changes out of that maid costume, we go to Plan N."

"OH YEAH!" Natsu exclaimed.

"What's plan N?" Lucy asked. She was answered by Natsu wrapping his scarf around his head so that only his eyes and hair were visible. He made a symbol with his hand as Happy made his ears stand and made the same symbol.

"Ninja!" The two proclaimed, making Lucy sweat drop while Alyssa had to hold back her laughter. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by a security orb.

Twenty minutes later, team Bravestar had snuck in through the roof and was now searching for Daybreak. After Happy attempted to freak everyone out with a plastic skull he had found in the attic, the five figured they'd cover more ground by splitting up.

As they did, it didn't take long for the destructive team to realize another trait of Duke Everlue: the man was insanely vain. Portraits of himself doing heroic deeds were hung all over the mansion's walls. In the main foyer was a two-story golden statue of the man. And almost all the furniture had his face embroidered on it or made in his visage.

As Zeke was carefully walking on the second level, he heard a brushing sound as he passed a room with a slightly opened door. With caution, the brunette opened the door to peek inside. He had to do a double-take when he saw a golden toilet shaped like Everlue's head, with the seat being his open mouth. Then he noticed Lucy scrubbing said toilet with a toothbrush, chuckling as she did so.

"Lucy?" Zeke whispered, getting the blonde's attention. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Oh, just getting some payback," she answered with a sadistic smirk before dropping the toothbrush into the toilet. "Oopsie. That'll teach that little perv for calling me ugly."

As the blonde chuckled to herself, Zeke had a look of disbelief. 'Note to self; never piss off Lucy.'

Meanwhile, Natsu was walking with his back pressed against the wall. His eyes darting back and forth as he attempted to blend in with his surroundings…attempted being the operative word. But as he rounded a corner, his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of footsteps coming on the other side.

"WASSHOI!" Natsu shouted as he quickly turned the corner and delivered a kick...only to realize he had accidentally kicked Alyssa in the stomach. "Oh, crap! Sorry, honey!"

"It's alright, tesero," she said, not even batting an eye at her boyfriend's kick. "Any luck finding the book?"

"Huaah!" Natsu quickly said, speaking in his 'ninja' voice as he took on a ninja stance. "I am afraid my search has not borne any fruit."

Natsu saw his girlfriend quickly cover her mouth with her hand, her body shaking as she tried desperately to contain her laughter. Feeling a bit mischievous, he decided to keep going.

"Wuah? You find this amusing, Girlfriend-san?" Natsu said, his poses getting more and more ridiculous, alongside his random ninja noises. Eventually, Alyssa couldn't help herself as she burst out laughing.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! Natsu, stop! I'm gonna piss my pants!" Alyssa cried out as she gripped her sides from laughing. However, her laughter quickly ended when the couple noticed the floor beginning to shake. Suddenly, the maids from earlier burst through the floor, the big, gorilla-like maid leading the charge. "Uh, oh."

"Intruders, Virgo!" One of them said to the biggest maid.

"Let's get 'em, girls!" Virgo said as they jumped towards them.

Natsu and Alyssa were quick to strike, attacking the strange bundle of maidens head-on.

"WASSHOI! Prepare to feel my ninja power!" he yelled as his arms exploded with orange flames. " _Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"_

As her boyfriend unleashed twin streams of fire that sent the smaller maids flying, Alyssa dealt with Virgo. The Boost Wizard evaded the pink-haired maid's wide punches.

"Why don't you just give up and take your beatings, ugly?!" the large maid exclaimed as she threw another punch. But to her surprise, Alyssa caught the fist with one hand.

"Hey, cagna. Didn't anyone tell you-" The orange-haired woman began to say as she grabbed her foe's wrist with her free hand, magic flowing through her arms. "-it's not polite to insult a lady's looks?! _Boost Magic: Grand Over-Toss!"_

With a mighty yell, Alyssa tossed Virgo over her shoulders. She slammed the giant maid into the floor, creating cracks from the impact zone and knocking the pink-haired maid unconscious.

"These maidens were no match for a true ninja!" Natsu proclaimed.

In another part of the mansion, Lucy, Zeke, and Happy had decided to look around together. They opened a pair of large doors on the second floor, revealing a rather extensive library.

"Woah. Didn't think Everlue would have a big book collection like this," Lucy said as she looked around. "Guess we better start looking. But it's going to take a while to find Daybreak."

"Oh, not necessarily." Zeke chimed in. "I'll have this entire collection sorted in a matter of minutes."

"What makes you say that?" Lucy asked. When she turned to look at Zeke, she saw the increasingly familiar sight of the archer's cocky smirk.

"Simple; My great-great-great aunt Beatrice Hudson once combed through the entire Royal Archives within a single afternoon," Zeke proclaimed as he approached the bookshelf. "As the same blood runs through my veins, finding a single book amongst this collection should be no problem for me."

"I don't think that's how that-" Lucy never got to finish her sentence as Zeke quickly got to work sorting through the bookshelves.

"Adventure, romance, porn, porn, self-help, history, porn, murder-mystery, porn, adventure, horror, horror, adventure-" Staring in shock, Lucy did have to admit to herself that watching the archer go through the books with breakneck speed was kind of cool. "Philosophy, adventure, political thriller, horror, biography, porn, history, history, adventure, murder-mystery, porn-."

"Hey, guys," Happy said, catching Lucy and Zeke's attention and pointed to the far end of the room. "I found the book."

"Really, where?" Zeke said.

"It's in that glass case at the end of the library." Happy pointed to the far end of the room, where they saw a glass display case sitting on top of a pedestal. Inside the case was a book resting on a pillow.

"How the hell did we miss that?" Lucy exclaimed. The group walked over to get a better look at it, and inside of the display case was a book with a golden cover and the word "DAYBREAK" in bold black letters.

"Here we go," Zeke said as he went to get a better look. "Daybreak by…Kemu Zaleon?"

"What?! No way!" Lucy said as she suddenly pushed Zeke out of the way. "This was written by _the_ Kemu Zaleon?!

"Huh. Didn't expect you to be a literary nut. Also, rude."

"Well, I'm the complete package of brains and beauty," she said smugly before going back to geeking out. "I'm also a huge Zaleon fan! I was totally positive that I'd read every single sentence he'd ever written, but this must be an unpublished novel!"

"Well, either way, we found our objective," Zeke replied. He tried to open the case but unfortunately found that it was locked. "Should've figured, and Everlue's probably got the key."

"You wouldn't happen to have any master thieves in your family tree, would you?" Lucy asked.

"Not to my knowledge." A sly smile spread across Zeke's face. "But we happen to have our very own cat burglar. Happy, do your thing."

"Aye, sir," Happy exclaimed. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a hammer. "It's Happy Hammer Time!"

"HAPPY, NO!" Zeke screamed. Happy looked at Zeke, his hammer a hair's breadth away from hitting the glass. "I meant the other thing."

"Oh, right," Happy said, embarrassed. He put his hammer away and flexed his paws to reveal his claws. Happy slipped his claws into the lock- which was, of course, shaped like Duke Everlue's face with the keyhole being in his open mouth. A look of serious concentration spread across Happy's face as he wiggled his claws around inside the lock. After a few seconds, a click rang through the air. "Open sesame," Happy said with a satisfied grin as he swung open the display case. Lucy grabbed the book, her eyes lighting up like a kid on Christmas.

"Great, let's get out of here before Duke Nosestache finds us," Zeke said as he started walking toward the door. "Now, we just got to find Natsu and have him burn it up."

"Wait a minute," Lucy said quickly, stepping in Zeke's way. "We already found the book, so…"

"So what?"

"I…what if I just keep the book and just say we burned it," Lucy pleaded, earning a blank stare from Zeke and Happy. They began to chuckle.

"You are the total package, brains, beauty, and a sense of humor," Happy said, clutching his sides.

"Yeah, that's a good one, Lucy," Zeke said before seeing the pleading look on her face. "You're not joking."

"Of course, I'm not! I can't just let that pyro burn a literary treasu-" Lucy began to say before Zeke grabbed her cheeks and began to roughly pinch them.

"Our job is to destroy Daybreak. Not lie about destroying it," Zeke said, letting go of Lucy's cheeks.

"Come on, what if you found a lost piece of art from your favorite creator?" Lucy pleaded as she rubbed her sore cheeks.

"That's got nothing to do with our mission," Zeke replied as he and Happy gave Lucy a stern look. "Besides, I'm more of a lacrimal picture fan than a book fan."

"Boyoyoyoyo! What do we have here?" A voice called out from below. Suddenly, Duke Everlue burst from the floor. "I knew you brats were after something of mine."

"Diver Magic?" Zeke said, recognizing how Everlue managed to burst through the floor unscathed.

"I had heard through the grapevine that the wizard guilds had posted a job to steal something of mine," Everlue continued before gaining a disappointed look on his face. "But out of all the treasures you could have stolen, you pick a piece of trash like Daybreak?"

Lucy smiled at the creepy little man's words. "That works out great. If it's trash, you won't mind if we keep it."

"No way! It's still mine!" Everlue yelled.

"Greedy Gus," Lucy pouted.

"Shut your trap, ugly!" Everlue shouted, stabbing Lucy's pride again. But before Everlue could take a step forward, Zeke let out a high-pitched whistle and transformed his bracelet in its bow form, startling the duke.

"I'll admit, I was surprised by your Diver Magic," Zeke stated, aiming his bow at Everlue. "But a narcissistic businessman like you has no chance against an S-Class Guild Wizard."

However, Everlue simply smirked. "I suppose that's true. But that's why I've hired these fine gentlemen. Come forth, Vanish Brothers!"

With a snap of his fingers, one of the bookshelves opened up, revealing two men. One had star-shaped hair, a blue shirt, white pants, an armband, and an orange bandana. The other man looked like a monk; he had four characters tattooed on his face, a mostly bald head with a single, long ponytail, a white shirt, black pants. He held a giant frying pan with a multi-colored crystal in its center.

"You called us, sir?" the monk asked.

"Tch. They don't look so tough," the man with star-shaped hair said as he looked over Zeke, Lucy, and Happy. "Two string-beans and cat? They're no real threat. One of them's not even paying attention."

"What are you talking about? We're- ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Zeke shouted as he saw that Lucy was now reading Daybreak. "There's being a bookworm, and then there's being stupidly obsessed! Emphasis on the STUPID!"

"There goes her being the total package," Happy sighed.

"Taking care of these idiots should be a piece of-"

"WASSHOI!" Suddenly, the doors to the library exploded, Natsu and Alyssa bursting through. "Domo. I am the ninja known as-"

"Not the time, Natsu!" Zeke shouted.

"Well, sue me for having some fun," Natsu said as he pushed his scarf back to his neck. As Alyssa took up a fighting stance, she noticed the wolf insignia on the taller brother's armband.

"You guys are part of the Southern Wolves mercenaries."

"Observant, aren't you?" The monk retorted.

"Wow, this is," Lucy whispered as she was reading the book before standing up. "Guys, I need you to buy me some time. I'm not sure yet, but I think this book holds some kind of secret."

The group looked at their newest member before looking at each other and nodding. "Alright, but you better go somewhere safe," Natsu replied. "Happy, go with her."

"Aye, sir," Happy said.

"Thank you," Lucy said and ran out of the room with Happy trailing behind her.

This got Everlue's attention. "You two, handle these brats. I'll go after the girl and the cat." He said as he sunk into the floor.

"Right, boss," the Vanish Brothers replied.

"You weak-ass wizards won't last even a minute against us," the taller brother proclaimed. A fierce smirk spread across Natsu's face.

"Oh, yeah? Well, try this then!" Natsu shouted before sucking in a big gulp of air. " _Fire Dragon's Roar!"_

As Natsu unleashed his fire blast, the shorter brother stepped into the spell's path. The gem in the center of his large pan changed color to orange. To the Bravestar trio's astonishment, Natsu's Roar spell was absorbed into the pan. The monk-like mercenary twirled his pan and aimed it at Natsu & Alyssa.

" _Elemental Cooking!"_

A scorching blast of pure magical energy launched from the pan, blasting Alyssa and Natsu out the doors, over the Everlue statue, and onto the second-floor balcony across the foyer. They quickly recovered as they saw the Vanish Brothers rushing at them, jumping off the gold statue's tongue to strike.

" _Boost Magic: Boosted Kick!"_ Alyssa chanted as she lept to kick the bigger brother. He raised his left arm to block. Alyssa grit her teeth when she felt her leg strike metal beneath his sleeve. The star-haired man smirked as he spun and kicked her onto the ground floor and landed on the balcony's railing.

In the meantime, Natsu was fighting the smaller brother, his hands alight with his Blazing Fist. Natsu figured that if he came in fast, the ponytailed mercenary wouldn't be fast enough to swing that huge pan to absorb his magic. But that plan soon backfired as the mercenary simply slapped his right wrist away. Before Natsu could do anything else, the mercenary smacked him with his frying pan. Natsu was sent flying through the railing into a marble bust of Duke Everlue on the floor below.

The shorter mercenary jumped down to continue his assault. But before the brother in white could attack again, he was forced to evade a barrage of magical arrows. He looked up and saw Zeke standing on top of the golden Everlue statue, his magic bow at the ready.

"Don't get cocky, ya jackasses!" Zeke said with a fearsome expression. "I don't know how some two-bit mercenaries got their hands on an anti-magic weapon, but you're still outnumbered against Fairy Tail's best team!"

"Huh, funny. You guys don't look like the Thunder Legion." The taller brother said. Zeke grit his teeth in annoyance. "And besides, you might want to do another headcount."

As Natsu got back up, his ears picked up a series of rapid footsteps heading in Zeke's direction.

"ZEKE, LOOK OUT!" Natsu shouted. Zeke, deciding to trust his friend, jumped back from the top of the Duke Everlue statue. He narrowly avoided a wide sword slash. The brunette quickly got up and saw his attacker was a teenage girl in a green cheongsam with dark blue hair tied up in two buns, her black eyes glaring at him, and she held a short sword in each hand. "BEHIND YOU!"

And just as Natsu shouted, another hidden assailant dropped down from the rafters. Zeke barely managed to block a strike that sent him flying off the statue. Alyssa leaped to catch him, but the taller brother jumped and smashed them into the floor with a savage kick.

"Geez, Gang. That was savage, even for you." The three Fairy Tail wizards looked up to see a woman with black hair tied in a ponytail. She was clad head-to-toe feudal-looking red armor and held a red and gold three-section staff.

"So there were more than two mercenaries." Zeke surmised. "The ladies must've been waiting in the rafters, waiting for the perfect moment to strike."

"Nailed it on the head, string bean," the lady in red said as she and the teenage girl leaped down to join their brothers.

"Now that we're all out in the open, allow us to formally introduce ourselves," the brother in white said as he struck a pose with his anti-magic pan. "We are the Vanish Siblings. I am Bai Yuan, eldest sibling and anti-magic warrior of the Cardinal South."

The sister in red spun her three-section staff around herself. "I am Yaling Yuan, second eldest and prodigy coiling dragon staff warrior of the Cardinal East."

The brother in blue cracked his knuckles. "I am Gang Yuan, second youngest and brawler of the Cardinal North."

The sister in green twirled her short swords. "And I am Mei Yuan, the youngest sibling, and master of the Butterfly Swords of the Cardinal We-"

But the sword-wielding girl bit her tongue, causing her to tear up and her siblings to look at her in concern.

"Um…you okay, Mei?" Gang asked before the girl broke out in tears, comically falling to her knees.

"I bit my tongue! And I messed up the intro!" Mei cried out. "I'm such a screw-up! I'll never be a good mercenary!"

"Now, now. Don't be so hard on yourself. You're still learning after all," Yaling said as she tried to comfort her little sister.

"If it makes you feel any better, you're doing a hell of a lot better than Gang," Bai said with an amused smile. "This dumbass actually managed to knock himself out on his first mission."

"Hey, don't bring that up!" Gang shouted. As the siblings chatted with each other, Team Bravestar was left a bit baffled.

"I kind of feel like we're being ignored," Natsu said.

"Maybe we should just go?" Alyssa chimed in as she scratched the back of her head. However, Zeke simply pulled back his bow, creating an arrow with a drill-shaped arrowhead.

" _Arch Shot: Drill Arrow!"_ When Zeke unleashed an arrow spell made of swirling magic at the four siblings. However, in an instant, Mei stopped crying and swung her short swords. And to Zeke, Natsu, and Alyssa's surprise, the blades actually managed to cut the spell to pieces. "What the fuck?! Are those swords anti-magic weapons too?!"

"How dare you!" Mei shouted. "We were having a moment, you skinny-ass, pencil dick, jerkwad!"

"Calm down, Mei," Bai said, placing a hand on his sister's shoulder. "We'll just have to make sure their demise is extra painful."

"Combo attack?" Gang suggested.

"Sounds good to me!" Yaling said. Gang leaped into the air, landing on Bai's outstretched frying pan. As he did this, Yaling took a stance on Bai's left while Mei stood to his right.

"Prepare to feel the unbridled fury of the Yuan family's signature technique; The Four Cardinal Directions Annihilation Technique!" Bai proclaimed.

'Gods, that's a mouthful,' Zeke thought to himself as Bai launched Gang into the air. They looked up, just what Bai was expecting.

"Look towards the north-" Bai calmly as he rushed towards Alyssa and smashed her into a wall with his pan. "-and we strike from the south!"

"Alyssa!" Natsu shouted.

"Gaze toward the south-" Gang shouted as he came down and kicked Natsu into the floor. "-and we strike from the north!"

"At once, we strike from the west!" Mei said as she ran towards Zeke from his right. He attempted to launch a barrage at her, only for the girl to slice up his spells with her anti-magic swords.

"To keep your gaze away from the east!" Yaling appeared behind Zeke, slamming her three-section staff into his stomach, sending him flying into a painting. The Yuan siblings then stood together, standing in line from oldest to youngest.

"You have now witnessed the full power of the Four Cardinal Directions Annihilation Technique," Mai proclaimed with a serious expression…that lasted all of four seconds. "I did it! I said the full phrase!"

"There you go!" Gang said as he patted his little sister's head, making her giggle.

"We knew you could do it," Bai said.

"You just gotta keep at it," Yaling said. But the four siblings' celebration was soon interrupted when Team Bravestar got back up.

"Aw. That's actually kind of cute," Alyssa said as she rubbed her sore shoulders.

"Kind of makes me feel bad that we gotta beat them up," Zeke said, groaning as he stood back up.

"Not me! That star-haired jerk kicked me in the face!" Natsu shouted as he jumped back up with a furious expression.

"Hm. You three are tougher than I thought," Bai stated.

"But we'll just take you jerks down, no matter what," Yaling stated.

"Ya, I'll admit that combo move was pretty good," Zeke said as the trio grouped back together, Alyssa standing to Zeke's right and Natsu behind them. "But you're not the only ones that can do stuff like that. Alyssa?"

"Destra! Let's show these guys what we can do!"

_(Music Que - Fairy Tail Game OST: Bravers)_

Working in sync, Zeke channeled his mana into his right hand while Alyssa channeled her mana into her left. The two bumped fists, creating a shared flow of mana between the two. Both Zeke and Alyssa gained a purple magical aura around them as a purple & green magic circle appeared under their feet. And around Alyssa's wrists were several of Zeke's different arrowheads.

" _Unity Link: Arrow Boost!"_ The two shouted in unison, much to the shock of the Vanish Siblings. But that wasn't the only surprise as Natsu crossed his arms, an orange flame-like aura surrounded him, and magic circles appeared before each hand.

" _O swift flames that blaze through the battlefield! Fire Dragon's Vernier!"_

Alyssa and Zeke were enveloped in the same aura as the two felt their bodies become lighter.

"Let's fuckin' do this!" Zeke shouted as he and Alyssa charged forward at superhuman speed. Using his acrobatic skills, Zeke leaped off a statue and onto the balcony. As he did, Alyssa rushed towards the Vanish Siblings until she was right in front of Gang. The mercenary barely had time to block as a Demolition Arrowhead moved to the top of Alyssa's knuckle.

" _Demolition Knuckle!"_ As soon as the punch connected, the arrowhead exploded. Gang was sent flying into the Everlue statue, and his sleeves were shredded to reveal the metal bracers underneath.

"What the hell?!" Mei shouted, only to be forced to dodge a sudden arrow barrage from Zeke.

" _Arch Shot: Enhanced Arrow Volley!"_ Zeke proclaimed, quickly drawing back the bowstring and firing a barrage of spells that forced Bai, Yaling, and Mei to evade. The youngest Yuan sibling began to swing her butterfly swords to cut the oncoming spells to pieces. Still, she quickly found herself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of arrows.

Yaling grabbed several throwing knives from her pouch and threw them at Zeke. But to her dismay, the archer evaded them with astonishing speed. 'What the hell?! I know this string bean wasn't that fast before!'

"Zeke's not your only opponent, stronzo!" Alyssa shouted as an arrowhead appeared around her right ankle. " _Boosted Arrow Volley!"_

The orange-haired amazon swung her leg in an arc, firing a wave of green arrows at the sisters that began to tear apart Yaling's armor.

'I've heard of this phenomenon before,' Bai thought as he used his pan to deflect Zeke and Alyssa's arrows. 'When two wizards form a strong bond, they can temporarily share their magic and mana pools. This is Unity Magic!'

However, Bai was knocked out of his train of thought as Natsu attacked, his fists blazing with fire once more. But the monk man was quickly able to block the strike with the open end of his pan, absorbing the fire.

" _Elemental Cooking!"_ Once more, Bai unleashed a blast of pure magical energy from his pan, Natsu dodging the blast with a smirk on his face.

" _Fire Dragon's Vernier!"_ Natsu's body glowed with the same orange aura as Zeke and Alyssa. Bai's eyes widened as Natsu attacked him with sudden blinding speed, forcing him back with strikes to his chest and face. "Hehe. So that fancy frying pan of yours can absorb my elemental spells, but you can't absorb my enchantments!"

"I have to admit," Bai said, watching Natsu like a hawk. "I didn't expect some of your demeanor to know Enchantment Magic."

"Well, I can only do this one enchantment," Natsu said, a bit embarrassed. "But it's one more than you can do!"

The tide was turning in Bravestar's favor. Thanks to Zeke, Alyssa, and now Natsu, they had managed to corral the three remaining Vanish Siblings into one place.

"How about that?" Zeke proclaimed as Alyssa managed to kick the anti-magic butterfly swords out of Mei's hands. "When it comes to team synergy, Bravestar is second to none!"

Zeke then leaped down from his sniping spot and stood near Natsu. "Now, let's blow them away!"

"You got it!" Natsu proclaimed as he channeled his magic into his right hand. Zeke and Alyssa mentally canceled their Unity Link just as Natsu placed his right hand on Zeke's shoulder. A green & orange magic circle appeared underneath the two as Zeke pulled the bowstring back. The arrow that manifested within the bow seemed to be made of emerald fire, its arrowhead in the shape of a roaring dragon's head.

" _Unity Raid: Arch Dragon's Hellfire Arrow!"_ Natsu & Zeke shouted as the brunette unleashed the spell, the arrow roaring like a dragon\\.

Bai stepped in front of his sisters to absorb the spell with his anti-magic pan. But when the spell hit, Bai noticed cracks beginning to form all over his pan. And that's when it hit him; his weapon could only absorb one elemental at a time. And this Unity Raid spell wasn't pure fire like Natsu's other attack spells! It was fire & light magic combined!

The pan shattered in a burst of green fire, the spell engulfing Bai, Yaling, and Mei and sending them flying towards the Everlue statue…just as Gang finally got back up. Gang barely had time to register the sight of his siblings and the unity raid flying at him before they were all blasted into the two-story statue. When the dust cleared, all four of the Yuan siblings were knocked out cold.

_(Music Que End)_

"And that's how it's done!" Zeke proclaimed with a smirk and a snap of his fingers.

"Um, Zeke. Didn't you say this was supposed to be a non-collateral mission?" Alyssa said. The brunette looked around and realized that they had completely trashed the foyer alongside part of the second floor during their battle.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Zeke yelled as he pulled on his hair. "We really can't go one mission without breaking shit, can we?"

Natsu was about to comfort his friend, but his ears picked up the sound of rumbling coming from under the floor. And once more, the being that leaped from the floor was the gorilla of a maid known as Virgo.

"You intruders caught me by surprise before. But this time, you'll get the punishment you deserve!"

It seemed that Lucy would have to deal with Everlue on her own. Because the Bravestar trio was now caught in another battle.

_**To be continued…** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, we now start to see a major divergence from A New Day. Since me and xpegasus have our revamped magic system all worked out, I figured we could show off some of those revamped elements earlier so that the story feels more natural.
> 
> And yes, you did read that battle right: Natsu can use Dragon-Slayer Enchantments just like Wendy. Granted, he's not particularly skilled with them, but he will become more adept with them as the story goes on.
> 
> Next Time: A Silver Sensation! Please remember to read and review!
> 
> See ya next time!


	4. A Silver Sensation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Daybreak Mission concludes with a bang! But trouble is never far from Team Bravestar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga is a non-profit fanfiction series.
> 
> Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.
> 
> Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.
> 
> Please support the official release.

**Previously: With the assistance of Team Bravestar, Lucy has gone on her first mission as a Fairy Tail wizard: To steal a book named Daybreak from eccentric billionaire Duke Everlue. While the gang successfully found the book, they were met with resistance by a family of mercenaries called the Vanish Siblings. Their anti-magic weapons proved to be quite the challenge; Natsu, Alyssa, and Zeke were able to defeat them using their Unity Magic.**

**As this was going on, Lucy departed from the group, believing that some secret lies within Daybreak's pages. But Duke Everlue is not far behind.**

_ Chapter 4: A Silver Sensation _

While the sewer wasn't an ideal place for anyone to read a book, beggars can't be choosers as the old saying goes. In order to read through the entire book in a timely fashion, Lucy had pulled out a pair of Gale-Force Reading Glasses, magic items that allow a wizard to read at superhuman speeds.

Lucy sat with her back against the wall, a look of determination on her face while Happy was hovering in the air on the lookout.

"Uh, it stinks down here," Happy said, holding his paws over his nose.

"I don't want to be here either, but it's the best place I could think of to hide," Lucy said.

"Well, I'm a cat, so my nose is way more sensitive than yours." He said as he flapped over to Lucy.

"I'm almost done, then we can get out here," she said. "I knew this book contained some kind of secret. But I didn't expect this."

"What's this about secrets!?" a voice rang through the air. A hand burst from the wall, grabbed Happy by his tail, and threw him against the wall.

"Happy!" Lucy shouted. She tried to grab her keys, but a pair of hands grabbed her wrists and twisted her arms behind her back. Lucy screamed in pain as she turned her head to see Duke Everlue, his face sticking out of the wall.

"Secrets don't make friends, you know," the Duke stated as more of his body came out of the wall. "Now, why don't you share that secret with me?"

"No way! A man like you doesn't deserve to know this book's secret! You're an enemy of literature!" Lucy yelled as the rich man added more pressure to his hold.

"An enemy of literature? I am culture's greatest friend! My massive collection of books and art is proof of that!"

"But your ugly maids show you don't know squat about beauty!" Lucy said through grit teeth.

"How dare you!" Everlue said as he tightened his grip like a vice. "My maids are the definition of beauty! Now, what secrets does this book hold?! A treasure map to his buried fortune or something like that? You better tell me, or I'll snap your arms like twigs."

Lucy turned her head and stuck her tongue out at Everlue. He scowled and pinned her to the ground, grinding her face into the dirty sewer's floor. "Don't get me sassy with me, missy! I am the one who commissioned Kemu Zaleon to write this book. I am the reason it exists! Therefore, any secret hidden in the book is rightfully mine!"

Lucy grit her teeth so hard it felt like they were about to shatter. "Go. To. Hell."

A mad grin spread across Duke Everlue's face. "Very well."

In a flash of blue, Happy shot into the air, dived, and kicked Everlue in the face, knocking him away from Lucy.

"Happy," Lucy said as he landed on the walkway, grinned at her. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"This cat's tougher than he looks," Happy said as he struck a pose before wincing and rubbing his head. He turned to glare at Duke Everlue as the short man got back up. "And I've got a bone to pick with you! What's up with this stupid smelly sewer? I thought you'd have some super cool dungeon under your house, and all we find is this super gross and smelly place!"

"That's what you're upset about?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Wh-what?!" Everlue exclaimed, utterly baffled by the cat's question. "Why the hell would I waste money on building a dungeon under my mansion?!" he shouted.

"Because dungeons are awesome and are great places to keep your super-special treasure," Happy said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Well, that tracks," Lucy snarked. "Someone who commissions golden toilets that looks like themself would never have something as cool as a dungeon."

Everlue scowled. "Bad enough that you broke into my mansion and stole my property, but I will not tolerate my tastes being insulted by you uncultured swine! _Concrete Dive!_ " A brown magic circle appeared under Everlue's feet, and he dived into the concrete.

Happy and Lucy got into offensive stances and prepared for Duke Everlue's attack. 'That's right,' Lucy thought as her eyes scanned the area. 'Zeke said he has Diver Magic. I've never seen it before, but based on how he's appeared in and out of the concrete and the name, he can probably dive through solid objects like someone can swim through water.'

But as the two Fairy Tail wizards were waiting for Everlue to appear, Happy's ears twitched, the blue cat quickly shoving his paw into his backpack. And as Everlue popped out behind the two, Happy quickly turned around and tossed a glowing crystal orb at the duke…which proceeded to explode and knocked Everlue back a bit.

"W-What was that?!" Lucy asked in shock.

"Lacrimal Grenades!" Happy as he pulled out two more from his back. "And there's more where that came from!"

Right as Happy tossed another pair of grenades at Everlue, the Diver Wizard recovered and dove back into the floor. He attempted to attack from above, flying from the ceiling. However…

"Lucy! Above you!" Happy shouted. Quickly, Lucy grabbed her whip with her free hand and swung it above her, smacking the duke in the face.

"Dammit it all!" Everlue shouted as he rubbed his now red face before he glared at Happy. "How the devil are you doing that, you repugnant feline?!"

Happy gained a cocky look on his face as his ears twitched. "It's because I'm a cat. So my sense of hearing is waaaaay better than yours."

At the same time, Lucy took out one of her golden keys as she held Daybreak in her other hand. "Well, it looks like the tables have turned. But if you let us have the book, we'll consider going easy on you."

"So you're a Celestial Wizard, eh?" Everlue asked. "But for a reader, you seem to have confused the phrase. Saying the tables have turned suggests that the weaker party has gained an advantage." He grinned as he reached into his suit pocket. "But still, this is a most advantageous moment for myself."

To Lucy and Happy's shock, the short man pulled out two silver celestial keys. One had teeth shaped like a dragon's claw, while the other key had teeth in the shape of a peacock tail. "After all, it's not every day I get to fight someone who uses the same magic as myself."

"No way!" Lucy said in disbelief as Everlue swung the keys in front of him.

_"Open, Gate of the Dragon - Draco! Gate of the Peacock - Pavo!"_ In a flash of light, two humanoid beings manifested in front of Duke Everlue.

The first was a woman with red serpent-like eyes wearing viridian plate armor that looked like it was made of scales with a matching helmet that resembled a dragon's head. In her left held a round shield emblazoned with the image of a dragon, and in her right hand, she wielded a sword with a crossguard shaped like a pair of dragon wings.

The second figure was a beautiful lithe man with a quaff of blue hair and amber eyes. His outfit consisted of a sparkly rainbow-colored sleeveless unitard. In each hand, he held a fan made of peacock feathers with golden handles.

"Y-you summoned two spirits at once?!" Lucy stuttered out, causing Everlue to chuckle once more.

"Boyoyoyoyo! You're a novice, aren't you? Silver Spirits barely take up a fraction of the mana it costs to summon Zodiac spirits. So they make the perfect pawns." The short man explained before pointing towards Lucy. "Now, my spirits! Kill this sow and her annoying cat!"

"Understood, Master Everlue," Draco said, holding her sword out with a stoic expression that terrified Lucy & Happy. In contrast, Pavo looked around and saw that they were in a sewer.

"Master, did you seriously need to summon me in a sewer? This is so revolting."

"Just be quiet and do what I say!" Everlue shouted, causing Pavo to sigh.

"Very well then," Pavo said as winds whirled around him, and he began to float. "I shall make your demise beautiful!"

"Not a chance!" Lucy shouted as she grabbed one of her own keys. _"Open, Gate of the Giant Crab - Cancer!"_

"A crab!" Happy exclaimed, drooling at the mere thought of all the seafood.

In a flash of brilliant light appeared a snappily dressed man in a striped blue shirt, black pants, red cornrows that went to the sides of his head and ended in hair styled like a pair of pincers, six orange crab legs coming out of his back, and two large crab-themed scissors in his hands.

"Oh my goodness, it's lord Cancer!" Pavo squealed, practically swooning at the sight of the Zodiac Spirit. "He's so fabulous!" Draco groaned at her partner's fanboying.

"You know it, baby," Cancer said in low, dulcet tones. "So Lucy, how would you like your hair styled, baby?"

"Now's not the time," Lucy stated as she pointed at Everlue and his two spirits. "I need your help dealing with these guys." Pavo pouted as Lucy reminded him of their current situation.

"You got it, baby," Cancer said as he struck a pose before charging in his scissors at the ready. But Draco quickly reacted, blocking and deflecting Cancer's scissors with her shield, then swinging her sword, forcing Cancer to leap back.

"Draco, you deal with Cancer!" Everlue ordered. "Pavo and I will take care of the girl and cat."

"I hear you," Draco replied.

Pavo pouted at his master's orders. "Well, the faster we wrap this up, the faster I get out of this revolting sewer," he said before leaping across the sewer and onto the other walkway.

"Boyoyoyoyo!" Everlue said as he dived back into the floor. Happy's ears twitched, and he tossed grenades at the spot Duke Everlue was going to jump out of. But Pavo knocked the grenades out of the air by feathers from his fans. Happy and Lucy jumped out of the way as grenades exploded, and Everlue jumped through the smoke to strike Lucy before diving back into the floor.

"I've read your book! It's a horrible adventure novel about a trashy main character named Duke Everlue!" Lucy angrily stated.

"Seriously?" Happy asked as he evaded more of Pavo's feathers.

"I wouldn't go as far as to call the main character trashy, but yes!" Duke Everlue shouted as he continued to rampage through the sewer, flying in and out of the walls like a possessed cannonball. "The story is crap! And to think it was written by the great Kemu Zaleon! It's inexcusable, a stain upon his body of work!"

"How arrogant are you? You forced him to write it!" Lucy said she evaded another attack.

"Arrogant? It's an honor to write about someone as distinguished as myself!"

"Then why did you have to blackmail him into writing it?" Lucy exclaimed, glaring daggers at the duke.

"Blackmail?" Happy gaped.

"What's the big deal?" Duke Everlue asked as he popped out of a nearby wall, twirling his nose mustache. "It was his own fault for refusing me in the first place."

"Oh, really?" Lucy asked with skepticism.

"I told him to write a book with me as the protagonist," Everlue explained as he swam through the floor. "Anyone would have jumped at the chance to have me as their muse. But that idiot had the audacity to refuse me! So I gave him some inspiration in the form of an ultimatum. Either write the book, or I would revoke his entire family's citizenship!"

"What?!" Happy gasped as Lucy's glare hardened. "But without citizenship, they couldn't get jobs, buy a home, or go to the hospital. Do you really have that kind of power?"

"I have the power to do anything I want!" Duke Everlue gloated as he disappeared into the ground again. "I got him to write the book, didn't I? But I was still peeved at his first refusal and attitude, so I had him write the book in one of my personal prisons, boyoyo! He talked big about being a great novelist who would never give in to threats, but in the end, I got what I wanted!"

As this was going on, Cancer and Draco were still engaged in combat. Cancer slashed his scissors at blinding speeds, but Draco deflected them with her shield and struck back with her sword. Cancer gracefully evaded, and as they battled, the two spirits heard Everlue's confession.

"Is that really the kind of cat you consider your master?" Cancer asked, only to be answered by Draco's unwavering glare.

"It is not our place to judge our Wizard's actions; we are meant to follow their orders to the letter," Draco proclaimed before lunging at Cancer.

"You did such terrible things to him just to satisfy your own ego?!" Lucy yelled as she evaded Everlue's fists. "He was locked up for three years! Don't have any idea how hard it must have been for him?"

The short man jumped from the ground in front of them. Happy tossed another grenade, but Pavo knocked away, blasting part of the wall rather than Everlue. "Perhaps it took him that long to realize how great I am?"

Everlue continued his attack. Every time he blasted through the concrete, Everlue's body hit Lucy like a cannonball before diving back into the wall or floors. But Lucy refused to fall.

"You're wrong!" Lucy proclaimed, her eyes burning with righteous anger. "The truth was that he couldn't stand you, but he swallowed his pride to protect his family. Even if that meant writing your character as a champion of justice."

"You seem to know an awful lot about this," Everlue said, eyeing Lucy with great suspicion. "I'm quite curious about how."

"The proof's all in here," Lucy stated as she held out Daybreak.

"What are you talking about? I've read that book cover to cover, and Kemu Zaleon is never mentioned."

Lucy smirked. "That's true. If you read it normally, his name is never mentioned. But you should know that long before Kemu Zaleon was a writer, he was a wizard! And when he finished writing the book, he gathered his remaining strength and cast a spell on the book," she said. A look of horror spread across Duke Everlue's face.

"No, he couldn't have! He must have cast that enchantment to reveal everything I did to him!" Everlue growled as he attacked again, and Lucy dodged. It was becoming apparent to Lucy that the battle was reaching a standstill. With Happy now distracted by Everlue's Pavo Spirit, Lucy no longer had any way to tell when Everlue was about to attack her. It was only a matter of time before her body would give out. However, her mind came up with an idea, one that could swing the odds in their favor.

"That's true. But the stuff about all of the terrible things you did to him is only a small portion. In fact, the true secret of the book has nothing to do with you!" Lucy said as she pulled out her newest silver key.

"What!?" Everlue yelled.

"That's why I refuse to let you have this book. It was never meant for you to begin with. _Open Gate of the Wolf - Lupus!_ " In a flash of blue light, Vali appeared in front of Lucy.

"Hiya, Lucy! Didn't expect you to summon me so soon!"

"No time for pleasantries, Vali. I need your help to take this guy down," Lucy explained, only to hear Duke Everlue scoff from her right.

"So you're one of those Celestial Wizards. Over sentimental saps who actually name your silver spirits," Duke Everlue said.

"You don't?" Vali asked.

"Of course not. There are millions of you, each more identical than the last!" Everlue shouted. "So what's the point of even naming you?"

Lucy gritted her teeth and grabbed her whip. It seemed the more Lucy learned about Duke Everlue, the more she hated the guy. And the only person angrier at Everlue…was Vali.

"You take that back, you weird-looking jerk!" Vali said as she channeled her magic through her claw, causing them to glow blue. This was followed by her leaping toward Everlue, the short man barely managing to evade as Vali scratched off the front of his suit. "There's only one wolf spirit named Vali! And that's me!"

"Y-you damn mutt!" Everlue shouted as he dove back into the concert...but Vali wasn't done.

_"Wolf Claw Strike!"_ Vali swung at the wall, cleaving it up and pulling Everlue out of the wall. Taking advantage of this, Lucy swung her whip and wrapped it around Everlue's wrist.

"Happy! Head's up!" Lucy cried and sent Everlue, flying in between Happy and Pavo. Her plan was that since Everlue wasn't surrounded by anything but air, he had nothing to dive into. And with him ending up in between Happy and Pavo, the peacock spirit couldn't knock Happy's Lacrima Grenades out of the air.

"Aye!" Happy said, tossing a pair of bombs at Duke Everlue.

"PAVO! SHIELD ME!" Everlue shouted.

Without any hesitation, Pavo grabbed his master and twisted their bodies in the air. Happy's bombs exploded, and Pavo's body took the entirety of the blast, protecting his master. The explosion sent Pavo and Everlue hurtling into the nearby wall.

"A-Are you okay, ma-"

"GET OFF OF ME!" Everlue shouted before punching Pavo in the face, knocking him into the sewer water, much to everyone else's shock, especially Pavo.

"But master, I did what you-"

"Shut up, you worthless birdbrain! I still got injured from that attack," Everlue shouted as he pulled Pavo's key out of his suit. "I suppose that's what I get for relying on some no-name silver spirits. Get out of my sight, you waste of mana. _Close, Gate of the Peacock._ " Pavo could do nothing but cry as his body faded into starlight and returned to the Celestial Realm. "Now then, it's about time I summoned a real spirit and ended this once and for all." Duke Everlue's face split into a massive grin as he pocketed Pavo's key and pulled out a Golden Zodiac Key.

"Is that really the kind of master you're cool fightin' for?" Cancer asked Draco once more.

"Be silent and fight me!" Draco said, but beneath her steely expression, she was becoming uncertain.

Lucy could only stare at Duke Everlue as she felt her body thrum with disgust and rage. All he did to Kemu Zaleon. His utter dismissal of the idea of naming his spirits. And now this. In all her years of life, Lucy had rarely felt genuine anger, and she could name all the people she hated on one hand. But now, she knew she absolutely despised Duke Everlue with every fiber of her being. That anger turned into resolve as she prepared herself to battle whatever spirit he was about to summon. "You monster," Lucy growled. "If you think you have the right to treat people like this just because you have all this money and power, you're dead wrong."

"Let's see how well that argument holds up when I kill you and take your spirits," Duke Everlue said with a chuckle. _"Open, Gate of the Maiden - Virgo!"_

But what came out through the gate wasn't anyone new. Instead, it was the same pink-haired monster of a maid from earlier. "Did I hear my master summon me?"

"She was a Celestial Spirit?" Lucy asked before her anger turned into confusion as everyone noticed that Virgo wasn't alone. Even Draco's stoic demeanor broke for a moment at the sight. They all stared in shock and bewilderment as Natsu was on holding onto Virgo's left shoulder, Alyssa had grabbed her stomach, and Zeke was being held in her right hand.

"What is this absurdity?" Everlue yelled.

"…what?" Happy said.

"Guys! How did you get there?" Lucy asked.

"Well, she got up and started to attack us. So naturally, we decided to fight back." Alyssa explained. "Next thing we know, we're suddenly in the sewers!"

"But that means…you guys must have passed through the Spirit World and then through a gate. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" Lucy nearly screamed at this insanity.

"Can you guys finish this conversation later?" Zeke choked out as Virgo squeezed him. "I think she's crushing my ribs."

_(Music Que - Fairy Tail Dragon Cry OST: Lucy's Counterattack)_

"Virgo, clean up this trash!" Everlue ordered.

"As you wish, master," Virgo replied. However, Happy tossed a lacrima grenade at her right arm, making her let go of Zeke, and the archer escaped.

"Payback time!" He summoned a group of arrows and aimed. _"Arch Shot: Arrow Volley!"_ Natsu and Alyssa jumped off Virgo's body as the stream of arrows struck her.

"Take this, you gorilla!" Natsu yelled as he and Alyssa charged. _"Fire Dragon's Claw!"_

_"Boost Magic: Enhanced Punch!"_ Alyssa yelled as she and her boyfriend hit Virgo together. Natsu kicked Virgo in the back of the head. At the same time, Alyssa punched her in the stomach, sending her toppling face-first into the sewer water.

"Inconceivable!" Everlue shouted at the defeat of his maid. Suddenly, Lucy lashed out at him with her whip.

"No escaping this time!" Lucy proclaimed. Everlue grit his teeth and prepared to use his Diver Magic, but suddenly, Vali attacked, scratching his face and breaking his concentration.

"MY FACE! Draco! Get off your duff and help me!" Everlue shouted, only to be met with silence as Draco lowered her weapon. Cancer gave her a kind smile. "How dare defy me, you stupid cow!"

With Duke Everlue distracted, Lucy wrapped her whip around his chest and flung him into the air. "Cancer!" Lucy cried out. "Give him a special makeover!"

"You got it!" Cancer jumped into the air, his scissors shining with brilliant light. _"Stylish Crab-Cut!"_

Cancer sliced at Everlue with his scissors in the blink of an eye, cutting off every single hair on his head and face. The shock of that combined with Lucy swinging him back down and smashing his head into the concrete knocked the man out as she glared at him with righteous anger. "Evil men like you have no right to use Celestial Keys or being in one of Kemu Zaleon's stories." As Duke Everlue blacked out, Draco returned to the Celestial Realm, a small smile on the knight's face.

_(Music Que End)_

"What do you think of this new look, baby," Cancer said to the unconscious duke.

"Way to go, crab man!" Natsu complemented with a smirk.

"Another one of your spirits?" Zeke asked. But before they could continue, the mansion started coming apart from the day's battles. "And that's our cue to leave!" The group ran, evaded falling debris as they made it out, the mansion crumbling behind them.

"Looks like you're going to fit right in a Fairy Tail," Alyssa said to Lucy as they watched the mansion collapse, crying to comfort the shocked blonde.

"But aren't we supposed to not destroy stuff?" Happy asked.

"Eh, whatcha gonna do?" Zeke stated, absolutely done with this day.

"That was awesome!" Vali shouted gleefully while Cancer gave a thumbs up.

"I hope the master doesn't blame me for this," Lucy cried.

"Whatever. Let's just head back to Mr. Melon," Natsu suggested and the group turned to leave, not noticing that Virgo was watching before she faded back into the Celestial Realm.

**_And then…_ **

"We probably could've bought something for dinner before we left town," Lucy grumbled as Natsu grilled up some weird-looking kabobs over the campfire.

It was now nighttime as Team Bravestar was sitting around a campfire, waiting for their food to finish cooking. When they had returned to Kaby's house, he was angry that the group hadn't destroyed the book as he requested and Lucy revealed that he was Kemu Zaleon's son. Kaby mentioned that he would destroy Daybreak himself since his father said it was complete trash. Surprisingly, Natsu was offended that Kaby was still going to destroy the last thing his father ever wrote, something the Dragon-Slayer would kill for himself. Kaby proceeded to tell the group about how his father came home and cut his own arm off in shame of the utter garbage he had written, ending with him in the hospital and Kaby yelling at him for abandoning his family, that being that last conversation they had before he died. He then went on to explain how his anger and resentment slowly turned into regret and remorse, leading him to believe that destroying the book that caused his family so much grief would be what his father wanted.

However, Lucy said he was wrong as the book started to change thanks to the spell Kemu Zaleon AKA Zekua Melon had cast all those years ago, changing the title from Daybreak to Dear Kaby. Lucy explained that the spell Zekua cast had rearranged the letters so that no one else but Kaby would be able to read it. That the book was actually a three-year letter that Zekua had written. A masterpiece detailing all the things he ever wanted to say to his son. As the spell finished, Kaby remembered the last words his father said.

"I thought about you the entire time I was gone."

Overcome with emotion, Kaby held onto the book that he now knew was his father's most outstanding work. He swore he would never let any harm come to it. He offered the team the reward, but much to Lucy's shock, the team refused. Zeke explained that the group had technically never completed their mission, so they shouldn't get a reward for not finishing a job. Lucy complained a bit, but the group stated that they had Fairy Tail's rep to think about. As it turns out, it didn't matter anyway since Kaby and his wife were just borrowing the mansion of one of their friends to hide the fact that they didn't have any money. Even after that, Lucy still knew that they would have helped Kaby even without the reward.

"Well, we can't exactly go back and ask after making such a big deal about not taking any money," Zeke stated as he laid on his back, looking up at the stars.

"Besides, camping out is way more fun than just sitting in a restaurant," Alyssa said with a nostalgic look in her eyes as she petted Happy in her lap.

"I guess. By the way…" Lucy asked as he turned towards Natsu, who was adding some last-minute spices. "How did you know that wasn't their house?"

"That's easy. The house didn't smell like them," Natsu stated.

"That's it?"

"Pretty much," Natsu said as he went back to cooking, Alyssa striking up the next conversation.

"So you're a big book fan, right?" Alyssa asked her blonde teammate.

"That's right," Lucy replied.

"So that's what all those papers on your desk were." Lucy gave Alyssa a confused look. "I saw them when I was in your apartment. I'm guessing that's the story you're writing."

Lucy's cheeks turned red with embarrassment, and she covered her face with her hands. "Please don't tell anyone!"

"Why not?" Zeke asked.

"Because I'm a horrible writer, and I would die of embarrassment if anyone read it," she whimpered.

"Oh, come on. It's not like you wrote smut." Zeke said with a chuckle. However, this only made Lucy's face redder. "Wait, did you seriously write smut?"

"NO! I mean…that is…it's just a few love scenes! But they're not even explicit!" She yelled out.

"Non preoccuparti, we won't tell anyone." Alyssa teased. "But I wouldn't mind reading it when you finish your book."

"I'd be down for reading a copy." Zeke chimed in.

"Alright, dinner's ready!" Natsu exclaimed as he took the kabobs off the grill and began to hand them around. The combination of peppers, mushrooms, and grilled lizards wasn't exactly appetizing to Lucy, especially since the hot-headed, battle-crazy Natsu made it. But considering she didn't have any other food to eat, Lucy decided to at least try to eat. And when she took that first bite…her eyes widened in surprise.

"It-it's good! Really good!" Lucy exclaimed as she chowed down on the kabob while staring at Natsu. "Natsu, you can actually cook?"

"Why's that so surprising?" Natsu asked before taking a bite of his own meal.

"Well, I once heard that good cooking requires patience and control. And you…well…" Lucy tried to find a polite way to explain how she saw him.

"…are a reckless hothead? Is that what you were about to say?" Natsu asked.

"I would've gone with 'fists for brains.'" Happy joked.

"And he is exactly that," Zeke chimed in, earning a light-hearted chuckle from Natsu. "But he's also the only one on the team with any talent for good cooking. Hell, the best thing I can make is rice and beans."

"Huh," Lucy said before turning towards Alyssa. "What about you, Alyssa? What can you make?"

Suddenly, Alyssa gained an embarrassed look on her face. "…toast."

"And?"

"…that's it."

Lucy really didn't want to laugh at this sudden revelation. But she couldn't help but let out a giggle that turned into laughter. It spread as Zeke, Happy, Natsu, and even Alyssa joined in and laughed alongside them.

And thus, the newly-expanded Team Bravestar had finished their first mission together, ending the day with a hearty meal around the campfire, only the first of many happy memories they would make together.

_**Next Morning…** _

"Are you guys sure we're going the right way? She inquires," Cogsworth said as Lucy rode inside of him as team Bravestar waded through a river. Since they hadn't gotten any reward money, team Bravestar had decided to save some money and walk back to Magnolia as it wasn't too far. But Lucy's teammates had insisted on taking a supposed "short cut" through a swamp, much to her disgust. "I'm pretty sure we've passed that u-shaped tree before, and that rock looks awfully familiar, the lady proclaims."

"For the millionth time, we're sure," Natsu said. "And you could do your own walking."

"We'll be fine, Lucy; this isn't the first time we've been through here," Zeke said, with a compass in hand. "And you should know, my second cousin twice removed, Lester Hudson, was a renowned explorer and-"

"Let me guess, you think that since you're related, you've got his sense of direction, then, she remarks."

"…well, yes," Zeke said. Natsu, Happy, and Alyssa couldn't help but giggle.

"She hit the nail right on the head, I say," Natsu said with a cheeky grin. Suddenly, he stopped walking and whipped his head around to look deeper into the swamp.

"What's wrong?" Alyssa asked.

"I heard something, and it's coming towards us," Natsu said as he raised his fists. Team Bravestar got ready to fight.

Out of the bushes emerged a pink deer with white spots and red antlers.

"Silly, Natsu," Happy said. "It was just a deer, nothing to worry about."

"No way, I could've sworn I heard footsteps," Natsu grumbled

"Aw, it's adorable, and it even matches your hair," Alyssa cooed, wishing she had a plushie that looked like it. The deer looked up a tree, staring at a branch where a big bird had just landed. In a flash, the deer opened its mouth, and its tongue launched out like a frog's and grabbed the bird. Team Bravestar watched in horror as the bird fought for its life as the brightly colored deer started eating it alive.

"'Can we please leave this place?' the lady mutters," Cogsworth said.

"Y-yeah sounds like a good idea," Zeke said, trying to regain his composure. "There's a spot not far from here where we can stop and rest." He turned to look at Lucy. "But in your case, you'll want to stretch your legs." Lucy stuck her tongue out a Zeke.

The group made their way towards the rest spot just outside the swamp, but as they trekked on, Natsu heard something moving. "I knew someone was following us!" Natsu yelled as rushed towards the bush. "Come on out and fight us, coward!"

"You can take 'em, Natsu," Happy cheered.

Natsu sent a blast of fire at the bush and to, their surprise, Gray leapt out of it. To no one's surprise, he was just in his boxers.

"What the hell?!" Gray yelled. "Can't I go to the bathroom in peace?"

"So that's what you were doing?" Natsu yelled. "Who takes off their clothes to go to the bathroom?"

"It's not like I meant to do that! And I certainly didn't want to run into you, Flame Brain!"

"Say that again, Ice Prick!" Natsu yelled back as they glared at each other.

"Lizard Breath!"

"Snow Stripper!"

"Pyromaniac!"

"Frozen Bastard!"

"Flaming Bastard!"

"'I'd call this childish, but that would be an insult to children,' she exclaims," Cogsworth said.

After they got most of their insults out of their system, team Bravestar and Gray set up their thing on the banks of a river just outside the swamp, unaware that they were being watched.

"Wait, you attacked me because you thought I was a dear?" Gray asked, now fully clothed.

"Not even close!" Natsu grumbled. Alyssa placed a hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"What are you even doing out here?" Lucy asked.

"I'm on my way back from a job," Gray explained. "There's a shortcut back to Magnolia through this swamp."

"Told you so," Zeke said to Lucy with a smug look.

"Anyway, we should all get back to the guild as soon as possible," Grey said to the team.

"Why's that?" Alyssa asked.

"Because Erza's due back any day."

Natsu and Zeke's eyes widened in shock. "Uh oh," they exclaimed in unison.

"Oh, really?" Alyssa growled as a vein appeared on her forehead and grit her teeth. "That's…wonderful." Alyssa was smiling, but Natsu and Zeke stared at her with worried expressions.

"Erza? As in the strongest woman in Fairy Tail, Erza?" Lucy asked with stars in her eyes. "That's amazing. I can't wait to meet her! You know, I've never seen pictures of her in Sorcerer Weekly. What's she like?"

"She's a monster," Zeke exclaimed as the color drained from his face.

"More like a straight-up demon," Natsu said.

"She's terror incarnate!" Happy cheerfully shouted.

"And she's only the second strongest woman in Fairy Tail," Alyssa said.

"What?" Lucy said as she stared at the group.

"Will you idiots quit exaggerating?" Gray sighed. "Erza's not that bad."

"Did you hit your head or something, cause I seem to recall you used to piss your pants whenever Erza walked into the room?" Natsu exclaimed as he stood up.

"You act like I was the only one, or did your flames finally cook your brain and make you forget?" Gray said, glaring at Natsu.

"There's learning to be brave and stand up for yourself, like Natsu, and then there's being stupid," Zeke said.

"Wait, if Erza's only second, who's the strongest woman in Fairy Tail?" Lucy asked.

Alyssa gave her a toothy grin and flexed. "You're looking at her."

While everyone else was busy talking, Happy decided to take the opportunity to catch some fish. He went to grab his trusty fishing rod from his backpack, only to find it was gone. As Happy looked for his backpack, he noticed Natsu and Alyssa's bags were gone as well. Suddenly, a brown magic circle appeared underneath Zeke's bag, and it sank into the ground. He was so surprised, Happy didn't notice the same magic circle appear beneath him.

"I'm telling you, I'd kick Erza's ass if we fought one on one," Alyssa told Gray.

"Yeah!" Natsu cheered.

"Dating the Flame Brain must've filled you with hot air. You're tough, but Erza's the toughest," Gray stated. "She could take down a mountain with one kick."

"Now you're the one exaggerating," Zeke said. "At most, Erza could destroy a plateau with multiple punches and kicks."

"Either way, she still sounds crazy strong." Lucy whimpered, imagining the aforementioned woman as a giant monster rampaging through town. However, when she looked around, Lucy noticed something. "Hey guys, where's all our stuff?" Everyone stopped talking, and their eyes widened when they saw all their bags had vanished into thin air.

"And where's Happy!?" Natsu screamed. He sniffed the air and bolted off towards the swamp. "I've got his scent! Come on!" Everyone ran after him and towards the catnapper.

In a clearing not far from where team Bravestar and Gray had chosen to rest, a strange group of people was rifling through their bags. The group consisted of a short man with grey skin and elf-like ears, a pair of identically dressed red-haired twin men, a man with shoulder-length green hair holding a crystal ball, and a man who looked like a chicken holding a staff. At the center of the clearing was Happy, tied to a stick over an unlit fire pit like a pig on a spit-roast.

"Those idiots didn't know what hit 'em," the grey man snickered as he pulled Zeke's wallet out of his bag. "Free cash and dinner, talk about a score."

"We're finally gonna eat some real protein," twin-one said.

"No more berries for us tonight." twin-two said, drooling.

"It appears our fortunes have turned for the better," the green-haired man said.

"Meat!" the chicken man shouted.

"Please, you guys don't want to eat me!" Happy cried. "I'm small, and there's barely any meat on me! Plus, I'm a cat so I'm covered in my own saliva, and I'll probably taste weird, and I won't go down easy! So please don't eat me!"

"What can I say? Beggars can't be choosers," the gray-skinned man replied before turning to the chicken man. "Light the fire." The chicken man squawked and held out his staff, and it ignited with magic flames.

"Hey, assholes!" The vagabonds looked up and saw Team Bravestar and Gray standing above them on a nearby rock ledge. "That's our friend you're trying to roast, so you'd better make other dinner plans!"

"Natsu! Alyssa! Zeke! Lucy! I'm saved!" Happy cheered as tears of joy ran down his face. "Oh, and guess Gray too."

"HEY!" Gray yelled indignantly. "Watch it, Furball!"

"Give us back Happy and our stuff, and we'll go easy on you," Zeke said as he summoned his bow.

"Like hell!" the elf-eared man yelled. A brown magic circle appeared in front of him. _"Sand Bullets!"_ Dozens of tightly packed balls of sand shot towards team Bravestar and Gray. Zeke unleashed a barrage of arrows, sniping the Sand Bullets while the others ran down the slope.

The twin drew their weapons, the first wielded a pair of sai and the second held a katana and rushed the Fairy Tail wizards while the chicken man blasted fire from his staff. The catnappers' eyes widened in shock when Natsu ate the flames.

"Thanks for the food!" Natsu shouted. _"Fire Dragon's Blazing Fist!"_ He punched the sai wielding twin in the stomach and sent him flying. Katana-twin attacked him, but he easily dodged the blade and kicked the katana twin in the stomach.

"What the hell!? Who are these guys," elf-ears growled.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Lucy ran past the fight to untie Happy. But the chicken man blocked her path. "N-n-nice chicken," Lucy squealed as he ignited his staff.

_"Boosted Kick!"_ Alyssa chanted and sent a devastating flying kick to the chicken man's head.

"Thanks," Lucy said.

"No problema," Alyssa replied with a grin and ran at the chicken man.

_"Sand Ball!"_ elf-ears chanted and sent a massive ball of sand hurtling towards Natsu. Natsu deftly avoided the attack, but elf-ears smirked. _"Sand Prison!"_ In an instant, the Sand Ball exploded. The sand swirled around Natsu and trapped him in a giant spinning ball of sand. So satisfied with his attack, elf-ears nearly missed the magic arrows flying towards him and barely dodged.

"Let him go, you creepy midget," Zeke yelled as he came down the slope. The green-haired man blocked Zeke's path.

"Monsters, how can you just steal our dinner?" the green-haired man said.

"Uh, that's our friend you're trying to eat, and you stole from us first."

The green-haired man glared at Zeke as his crystal ball glowed a brilliant purple. Zeke readied himself, and then-

"I see you meeting your true love very soon, but also some problems with water," the green-haired man said.

"You read my fortune?" Zeke asked. "Is that all you do?"

"Pretty much." And with that, Zeke whacked him over the head with his bow, knocking the green-haired man out.

While that was happening, Alyssa was duking it out with the chicken man who was tougher than he looked, and sai-twin had gotten back up and was attacking Gray. As Lucy and Happy watched, katana-twin came up behind them and raised his sword. With a scream, Lucy grabbed Happy and rolled out of the way. She grabbed one of her keys.

_"Open, Gate of the Golden Bull - Taurus!"_ In a flash of gold, the bull spirit manifested in front of her.

"Hello, Miss Lucy," Taurus said flirtatiously. "You look udderly bee-uuuuuutiful today."

"Holy crap! A cow," katana-twin said, his mouth watering. "Forget the cat; we're having a steak dinner tonight." He ran at the Celestial Spirit head-on, but Taurus shattered the redhead's sword with a single swing of his axe. All at once, the chicken man and the twins were knocked unconscious by their opponents.

"Damn it, what's up with these guys?" elf ears said as sweat dripped down his brow. Suddenly, the Sand Prison exploded in a burst of flames, and Natsu emerged with a furious look on his face.

"Okay, now you've made me mad!" Natsu shouted. A magic circle appeared in front of him as elf-ears ran for his life. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Elf-ears screamed as the torrent of flames consumed him, and he joined his allies in unconsciousness.

"Well, that was easy," Gray said.

"Why are you naked?!" Lucy yelled.

"CRAP!"

While Gray was busy trying to find his missing clothes, Team Bravesatr gathered the ruffians up and tied them to a tree. After making sure they had all of their belongings

"There, there," Alyssa said gently as she gave Happy a confronting hug and pet his head. "It's okay, Happy. You're safe."

"Those bastards," Natsu said, glaring at the unconscious wizards. "I can't believe they'd try and eat Happy."

"The good thing is we found them in time," Zeke said. "But something good did come out of this."

"What are you talking about?" Gray asked, having put his clothes back on.

"According to my fortune, I'm going to meet the love of my life soon," Zeke said with a smile, making the Ice Wizard stare deadpan.

"Well…good for you."

Suddenly, the Fairy Tail wizards turned at the sound of elf-ears groaning and saw him wake up. "What…the hell," he said groggily. His eyes snapped open as he took in the situation and realized what had happened. "Aw crap." He elbowed the two ruffians he was tied next to, jolting them awake. "Will you idiots wake up?" After a moment, all five ruffians were awake again.

"Did we seriously lose our dinner," twin-one said.

"This blows," twin-two bemoaned.

"Meat…" the chicken man said longingly.

"Well, you got what you deserved," Alyssa said as she held Happy close. "I can't believe you'd try to eat an adorable kitty. What's wrong with you?" At that moment, all of the ruffians' stomachs growled in unison.

"We are truly sorry," the green-haired man said tearfully. "We've been wandering through the wilderness and have had barely anything to eat for the past three days. Our desperation drove us to commit our abhorrent actions."

"Yeah, what he said," elf-ears said. "Look, if we promise not to do it again, will you just untie us and let us go?"

"No way," Zeke stated as he crossed his arms. "Even if you are just down on your luck wizards, we can't just let this slide."

"What!" the ruffians shouted.

"You're just going to leave us here!?" elf-ears asked with wide eyes.

"Sounds great to me," Natsu said.

"I'm pretty sure he meant that we'll take them to jail," Lucy said with a sweatdrop.

"No! You can't take us to jail!" elf-ears pleaded, his eyes overflowing with fear.

"We have to keep moving; we've already wasted too much time," twin-one said.

"If we're locked up in jail, they'll find us for sure!" twin-two said.

The Fairy Tail wizards looked at each other in confusion. "Wait a second, who exactly are you running from?" Gray asked.

"Our old guild," elf-ears said in almost a whisper, terror permeating every syllable. "We've been on the run for the past week, and if they find us… I don't even wanna think about that."

"Master scary," the chicken man whimpered as his body shivered. The color drained from the other vagabonds' faces.

"Madness grips our guild master's heart and soul," the green-haired man said. "When he told the guild of his plan, we were shocked and appalled while the rest of the guild cheered in adoration. They are blinded by their adoration towards him, their loyalty unquestioning and unwavering. We tried to talk the others out of it, but it was clear they would follow our guild master to the depths of hell if he asked. So we fled."

"It all started when he got that book and learned about that stupid Lullaby," elf-ears said.

This revelation shocked the Fairy Tail wizards. What was before a group of petty thieves or just some down on their luck wizards were instead people running for their lives. Obviously, the vagabonds could have been lying in a desperate attempt to convince the team Bravestar and Gray to let them go, but that didn't sit right with any of them. The fear in their voices and the looks of terror on their faces felt too raw and visceral to just be acting.

Although he wanted to believe them, Zeke wasn't quite ready to just let the vagabonds yet. He decided to get some more information out of them before making a final decision. "Okay, let's start from the beginning. What guild are you from, and what sort of lullaby are you talking about?" Elf-ears refused to look Zeke in the eyes, it looked as though he was struggling with whether or not to answer the question. The other vagabonds stared at him in apprehension. As elf-ears opened his mouth, Happy's ears pricked up.

"Incoming!" Happy shouted. From the treeline emerged shadowy tendrils that raced across the ground towards the group. The Fairy Tail wizards jumped out of the way, but they were not the targets. The shadows ignored them and went straight for the vagabonds as looks of horror spread across their faces.

"Kags, please!" elf-ears screamed. "Don't do-" But he was cut off as the shadow tendrils reached the tree, and the vagabonds were swallowed by the darkness and disappeared.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Lucy shrieked.

"Don't know, but whoever cast that spell is fast," Gray said. "I can't sense them at all."

"No kidding," Natsu said, sniffing the air around them. "Their scent's already become faint."

"Did you get their scent at least?" Alyssa asked.

"Ya, they smelled like ancient wood and sulfur," Natsu said. A scowl appeared on his face. "Damn it, there's no way we're catching up to them."

"I can't believe it," Zeke said, staring at the spot the runaway wizards had been just a moment ago. "What sort of wizard can do something like that? None of us had had a clue they were there."

"And just what kind of guild could they belong to?" Lucy asked as she stared into the woods with a grim expression on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With this chapter, the Intro Arc (as I like to call it) comes to a close. And I must say, I think I've got a much better grasp for the kind of story I want to write for Fairy Tail this time around. We've seen the introduction of Unity Magic (this story's reworked version of the Unison Raids), and we're gonna see more of the refined magic system in the coming chapters.
> 
> I can't wait to show you guys what I got planned for the next few arcs!
> 
> Next Time: Enter Eisenwald! Please remember to read and review!
> 
> See ya next time!


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